From the Land Down Under to the Rising Sun

This is a short little post to honor June Wayne’s birthday which is on June 5th. Ever since Mom stepped into Heaven in 2017, I have mostly tried to ignore her birthday. I think the psychological term might be called avoidance. But putting this blog together has let me revel in June and Milton’s memories with fresh eyes and a renewed appreciation for their lives. Some of their stories of the early years have included some new revelations to me and brought a source of joy. So here is a little homage to June, Mom, Auntie June, Nanna, or however you knew her for her birthday. It’s a fun look at just some of her advice – most of which related to health.

Many of you – the family – were on her bulk email list. We used to get at least once a month, probably once a week, a forwarded email from Mom relating to some sort of medical advice. Some of it was a bit more eccentric than I was willing to do but so many times she wound up being right.  A lot of her sage advice came long before the Internet.

The first thing that pops into my head when I think about all the various nuggets of wisdom from June Wayne is apple cider vinegar. If you ever saw the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” you might remember the Greek patriarch in the family using the household cleaner “Windex” on all ailments from pimples to scratches. I feel the same way about apple cider vinegar. Nowadays you can do a search and find lots of benefits to it right at your fingertips – but Mom was talking about vinegar decades before computers and google. Growing up in Japan, this was our go-to cold remedy: a few teaspoons mixed with hot water and honey may not have been an immediate cure, but it sure did make me feel better. I seem to remember gargling with diluted vinegar as well.

Speaking of gargling, this too was recommended. Gargling with saltwater.

In the mid-1980s I went to visit them in Japan before they moved back to Australia. I noticed a rack of trays in our tiny backyard where Mom was growing wheatgrass. They would then cut their grass, blend it and take shots. I thought they had gone mad – until a few years later in California, blended juice bars began popping up, and wouldn’t you know it, they offered shots of wheatgrass juice for sale. Once again, Mom was ahead of her time.

I don’t remember when, but it was within the last decade, she told me to always try to walk barefoot on grass or sand at least once a day. I don’t manage the “everyday” but I must admit, it certainly is a good feeling when I walk on the beach barefoot. Note to self – do that as many times as possible!

I am not sure when the next healthy idea germinated but at some point, on a visit to Mom & Dad in Sydney, the kitchen was always cluttered with jars turned on their sides, with raw seeds such as sunflower seeds soaking in a tiny amount of water. The idea was to sprout the seeds to bring them to life before eating. Admittedly this is a habit I haven’t adopted but I have bought bread in the grocery store advertising that it was from “sprouted wheat”.

Mom loved efficiency. She would feel very accomplished when she managed to write letters while on a train – thus doing two things at once: commuting and writing. I remember when she was working on one of her master’s degrees in Japan, she would have flashcards above the kitchen sink so she could quiz herself while washing dishes. So not surprising that later in her life, she pointed out to me whenever she was on a bus in Sydney, she would use that idle time to exercise her eyes. By that I mean you look at something far away out the window then quickly change focus to something close. She would do one eye at a time, cupping her hand over the eye she was not exercising. Mom wasn’t one to worry about what people think when it came time to exercise or stretch!

While still living in Japan, and before it became commonplace, Mom got into yoga. She took lessons and then taught it to a small group in Japan. I remember she sent me a “how-to” book long before yoga studios started to trend in the US. She was always amazingly flexible – more than I was despite her being 32 years older than me.

In a previous blog post, I mentioned how she extolled the virtues of sunshine and now this year people have finally realized how good sunshine is for your Vitamin D levels.

So here’s to June on her birthday – in honor of it you can try and do the bridge stretch pictured above…or maybe go walk barefoot. Your choice – ha ha.

P.S. But if you do the Bridge send me a picture lol