'Mema' rambles on

Observations about life, health collected in Hiwasse woman’s new book

Freddie Arbuthnot — or “Mema” — enjoys the company of people and animals in her Hiwasse home.

Freddie Arbuthnot — or “Mema” — enjoys the company of people and animals in her Hiwasse home.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

HIWASSE - Freddie Arbuthnot always loved animals.

“When I was a kid, I would get so mad at people,” the 76-yearold woman giggled. “I’d say, ‘When I grow up, I’m gonna’ have a little house and fill it with dogs and cats. I’m not gonna’ have anything to do with people.’”

As an adult, Arbuthnot reversed her selfproclaimed “zero-tolerance for people” rule and worked for over 40 years as a registered nurse.

“Now I’m energized by people,” the spry, silver-haired woman exclaimed. “Ilove helping people.”

Though she changed her mind about people, Arbuthnot never lost her love for animals. Her collection now includes dogs, cats, goats, a mini-mule and an old horse. Arbuthnot came to own many of her animals when families lost their homes in the downturned economy.

“You grow up with certain ideas. My dad fixed everybody’s car in town,” Arbuthnot recalled. “He’d pull the motor and I helped him. He never charged anybody.”

Arbuthnot explained that this lesson taught her to give freely of herself. So, when area families asked Arbuthnot to care for the pets that could not go with them to homeless shelters or into apartments, she accepted.

Arbuthnot said that she started writing because oftwo large dogs that came to her in this way.

“A couple living in their car wouldn’t go to the Salvation Army until they found a place for their dogs,” she said.

Arbuthnot welcomed the dogs into her home. Because they were so large, though, she didn’t feel comfortable leaving them alone in the house.

“I was kinda’ closed in for the winter, so I decided to make the most of my time,” Arbuthnot said, “so I started writing.”

Arbuthnot has been writing down her observations about life and health ever since. She calls her writing “Mema’s Ramblings.”

Arbuthnot explained the name“Mema” came from her grandchildren and was later used by others.

Arbuthnot’s new selfpublished book is called “More Ramblings from Mema on Holistic Health.” Arbuthnot said that the book of “ramblings” discusses her daily life and what she feels enhances wellness. Her thoughts include how to improve health through nontraditional methods such as practicing gratitude and forgiveness. For example, she encourages her readers to start their days being grateful for one thing.

“This morning, the birds were at my kitchen window just clamoring for me to feed them,” Arbuthnot explained. “And I was so grateful for their little voices. It made me grateful that I still had my hearing.”

As a nurse, Arbuthnot felt she learned everythingbut a pill or surgery was “voodoo.” She said, “It took me a long time to accept holistic approaches. Everything had to be wellresearched. Everything had to be proven to me.”

Arbuthnot began practicing holistic approaches to wellness. Because of this, she said that in over 40 years as a nurse she missed only one day of work.

Though Arbuthnot once lived in a three-story Victorian house with stained glass windows and carefully-matched furniture, she explained, “Now I live really minimally.” She paused, remembering what caused this change of heart. “My husband had brain cancer, and he was blind for a year before he died. About that time, I thought, ‘All this stuff that we got, it don’tmean anything.’”

Shortly afterward, Arbuthnot’s house burned.

“That was an easy time to say, ‘Hey, I don’t need it.’” As a retired service worker without a 401K plan, Arbuthnot now lives on a limited income.

“That’s a good reason to do as many free things to keep yourself as healthy as possible!” she laughed.

In addition to writing books, Arbuthnot maintains a blog, volunteers in a wellness center and teaches a number of classes at a learning center in Bentonville.

Copies of Arbuthnot’s book and a free sampler workshop will be available at the Lifelong Learning and Activity Expo, July 16-17, at the John Q. Hammons Center.

For information about Arbuthnot’s classes and books, call 366-4306 or go to www.memasramblings.com. To learn more about the free Lifelong Learning and Activity Expo, go to www.llcnwa.com and click on “Expo.”

News, Pages 2 on 07/13/2011