In today’s progressive world, we are always looking to advance ourselves to the newest and best. Whether it be the newest electronic device, such as phones or cameras, to the newest automobile. We are always striving to reach the next level of performance. The same can be said for what we consume. We are constantly being bombarded by new studies that prove that what we are consuming is bad for our health. Eating eggs was determined to be dangerous due to the high levels of cholesterol, only to now be known as a super food. We are now advised to eat eggs to provide a healthy cholesterol level. Of course, everything must be done in moderation, still we are again changing to “suit the times.”

I recently sat contemplating how people dealt with things in the past and I am reminded of a simpler time. A fond memory comes to mind of playing in the snow after a heavy snowfall. I can remember going back inside, after an afternoon of play. I was staying at my Grandparent’s home, and I can still feel the cold frost on my cheeks and the numbness in my hands. Entering the house, I found my grandmother waiting for me by the door, where it was customary to strip off all the wet clothes and snow-covered boots. I can still smell the scent of the hot cocoa that was being stirred on the stove. My Grandmother always had a bathrobe ready, to keep modesty in check. Walking into the living room, I would find my grandfather, seated at his favorite armchair. The arms were frayed, and the back worn, but he refused to get a new one. My Grandmother would bring me a hot cup of cocoa and I enjoyed it in front of the fireplace, trying to recover the feeling in my hands and feet. I watched her bring my grandfather a cup also and can remember asking him if he liked the cocoa as well. “I am having a cup of the “special tea,” he would say. It was not until many years later that I discovered he would drink an old family recipe for helping his arthritis. He would always tell me that when the cold winter winds began, his joints would ache, and he would begin his tea regimen. I remember asking him about why he just did not take something for his joints and his reply would always be the same, “when you have something that works, you stick with it.”

Now grown, I have spent many years remembering those words. It made all the sense in the world to me and explained why he always kept that old chair. He knew that sometimes getting something new did not replace what you already had. I have since determined that all those old family remedies had a lot of merit. Some of them were so old that Native Americans used them. I have learned that the Native American recipes were not only natural teas but have since been transformed into some of the common medications we take today. One tea still exists today in the form of Tego tea. Those innocent days of playing in the snow as a child opened my eyes to the world, we live in. When I think of Grandfathers achy joints, I realize that perhaps we already had the answer we were looking for all along.