Reviews: Old Herbaceous & Rewire Your Brain

Thank you all for your kind words on my last post. Good friends, whether blog or IRL, are a real encouragement.

There are so many books on so many different subjects that I want to read, I wear myself out just visiting the bookstore. I feel so good when I finish one or two, and then there are ten more threatening to topple off of my bedside table -- isn't that true of knitting projects too? Discipline is a hard road.

Creating a to-read list for this year of some of the books I most wanted, and then for some reason, haven't gotten around to (you know how that is!) is really helping me to focus. As is not buying any other books except new installments of series I follow, like the latest Charlotte and Thomas Pitt mystery by Anne Perry, Treason at Lisson Grove. This is as important an event for me as a new Star Wars or Harry Potter movie or episode of Glee is for those fans. Click to pre-order item?? Yes please!!! But I'm not going to read it just yet; if I devour it now, who knows how long I'll have to wait for the next one. Perhaps it is that thinking that caused certain books to wind up on this sitting-on-the-shelf-too-long list.

Old Herbaceous by Reginald Arkell was one of those, part of a series of eight classic gardening books edited by Michael Pollan, of The Omnivore's Dilemma fame. Unlike the other seven nonfiction/essay type books, it is a 1950s-era British novel that reads like a memoir. We follow the life of Herbert Pinnegar, an orphan raised by a kindly villager's wife, whose teacher instills in him a love of wildflowers. When it is time for him to leave school and be assigned a trade, he loudly protests taking on farm work as the other boys are doing, and is offered a position as a gardener for the manor house, where he will work with and learn about flowers all day long. Bliss!

At first, Pinneger works under Mr. Addis, who frustrates him because he is not open to new ideas. Ironically, when Mr. Addis dies, and Pinnegar becomes head gardener, he is annoyed by the lack of respect for tradition that the younger gardeners have. Over time, Pinnegar becomes well-respected in the county, and is drafted to help judge a flower and vegetable show. At first, he is gripped by self-doubt and turns down the opportunity; when his mistress insists he participate, he rises to the challenge and becomes proud of the accomplishment. He is also asked to help beautify the local train station grounds, with spectacular results.

With the wars comes difficulty and change; young men are drafted and Pinnegar must soldier on by himself, caring for the vast garden as best he can. At the end of the novel, his mistress grows older and more frail, and the manor and grounds are sold. What will become of her, and her beloved head gardener?

Though there is an obvious garden theme, you don't have to be a gardener or even like flowers or vegetables to enjoy this book. It's a character study, following a man's life as he copes with a difficult boss, difficult economic times, and a sometimes hostile modern world, while finding comfort in the respect and care of others around him, and purpose in work that he loves to do. He holds out for what he believes in, and is usually successful; for me a welcome yet timeless theme.

 

Rewire Your Brain: Think Your Way to a Better Life by John B. Arden

Many people believe that they are born with certain thinking patterns and personalities that are not changeable. "That's just how I am," they might say, when they struggle with anxiety, a negative mindset, a poor memory, or a short attention span. But with great advances made in the field of neuroplasticity, or "rewiring your brain," we don't have to stay stuck in those old thought patterns any longer. Neuroplasticity has helped psychologists to further develop cognitive behavioral therapy techniques.

Arden establishes the FEED method for rewiring your brain: Focus on thought patterns you want to change, apply Effort to make the change, until it becomes Effortless, and stay Determined to maintain the new thought patterns and habits. He explains in great detail the different parts of the brain and what functions each part controls. Because I am not a scientist (more a science nerd), some sections were hard going for me -- definitely a book I had to read when I was not tired and could concentrate on fine details. A glossary of acronyms and a diagram of the brain would have been especially helpful -- how many times did I have to flip back to find out what the PFC (prefrontal cortex) or BDNF (brain-derived neutropic factor) was? Yet it was worth the effort to understand how we get stuck in certain thought patterns, and how our neurons can be taught to fire together in different patterns via the FEED method, to make positive changes.

Each chapter beings with a case study, and Arden explains how to address that particular concern, such as anxiety, memory, or depression. Chapters address the influence that diet, exercise, sleep, and social medicine have on our brains, and how we can use these health practices to great mental advantage. Paying attention i.e. focus is key to everything we do in life, especially when developing working memory -- if you don't pay attention in the first place, your brain can't create the memory of the moment after the fact. So much for multitasking! Arden ends with an analysis of meditation and how being present in a moment, observing thoughts and not reacting to each emotional swing, is a useful practice for stabilizing our moods and improving our peace.

This book was very helpful in explaining the source of various mental challenges, and stressing that change is possible. Some suggestions for various challenges were more specific than others; those looking for more concrete, "how-to" advice in how to rewire their brain might be interested in Feeling Good by David D. Burns.

What are you reading, or planning to read? Have you watched the new Upstairs Downstairs or South Riding?

Comments

[lynne s of oz]

Thanks for the book reviews, the rewiring your brain one sounds rather interesting :-)
And don't fuss too much about gauge on Summerflies. Your yarn will do the work when you block it. (I was silly enough to make mine out of bamboo - lots of drape but no blocking!)

[Dorothy W.]

Everything in your review and that you have told me about Rewiring Your Brain sounds really great. As I've mentioned before, it sounds similar in message to the book Positivity I read a while back. That book also emphasizes how we can change our thought patterns for the good. I like the idea of having some power over what goes on in my head!

[Kristen]

The Arden book sounds intriguing. Without having read it, I know that 'thinking more positively' the last 2 years has helped me be less stressed and more positive and confident about my job.
I hope things are are going better for you as you keep on keepin' on. (I won't say the P word from your last post!)