#18: Let Freedom Ring
"Land of the Free, BECAUSE of the Brave"
Happy 4th of July week, My friends.
Fireworks are crackling, grills are popping, and spirits are high and booming. This week brought equal parts wonder and weirdness—from curious tree behavior on the golf course to the scent-mapping superpowers of dogs. We’re also talking brain health, better guac, and some surprising history behind Independence Day.
Let’s dive in.
1. 🌳The Great Cottonwood Mystery: Nature’s Fireworks
“He who plants a tree plants a hope.” – Lucy Larcom
I was standing on the 4th tee box this week when I noticed it—white fluff drifting across the fairway like a silent fireworks show. It looked like snow in July. Then I looked closer: some trees were launching clouds of fluff, others weren’t doing a thing. What gives?
Turns out I was teeing off next to a patch of cottonwoods, and I had stumbled into a clever natural design. Cottonwoods are part of the Populus genus, closely related to aspens and poplars, and they thrive along rivers, lakes, and open plains—especially across the central U.S.
Here’s the wild part: cottonwoods are dioecious, meaning they come in male and female trees.
Female cottonwoods produce that white, cotton-like fluff you see this time of year. Each puff carries a seed, engineered by nature to ride the wind for hundreds of feet—maybe miles.
Male trees don’t produce fluff. They release pollen earlier in the spring and then kick back while the ladies put on a show.
✨ Fun Fact: The white fluff itself isn’t what triggers allergies—that’s the male pollen, which drops weeks before the fluff appears. So if you’re sneezing in June, the fluff’s just floating by, innocent and airy.
But these trees are more than a seasonal sideshow…
🌳 Cottonwoods are survivalists. They grow fast, with wide canopies, and their shallow roots pull moisture from deep underground aquifers. That makes them excellent natural air conditioners and erosion fighters. Their presence near a stream or river usually signals a dependable water source—a fact Native American tribes and early pioneers used when traveling across the frontier.
🏹 While the Eastern Redbud holds the title of Oklahoma’s official state tree, the cottonwood has long stood as a symbol of frontier resilience—towering over creek beds, campsites, and golf courses alike. Lewis and Clark frequently camped beneath them, and tribes used their wood for everything from drums and tools to sacred poles. These trees weren’t just shade—they were landmarks. Life signs. Gathering places.
There’s something poetic about that fluff floating around as we celebrate the 4th of July. It’s messy, beautiful, and free. Just like you & me.
2. 🐶 Dogs, Nose Prints & The Science of Snuggles
“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” – Orhan Pamuk
Let’s talk about dogs—because I just watched the Netflix documentary Inside the Mind of a Dog, and I walked away more impressed (and emotional) than I expected.
First up: their nose prints. Just like fingerprints in humans, each dog’s nose has a unique pattern of ridges and creases. Some shelters are exploring nose-print IDs to help identify lost dogs—an even more reliable biometric than collars or chips.
But that’s just scratching the surface...
Dogs have over 300 million olfactory receptors—and I swear Beau puts every one of them to work. Just mention "walk" and he's already sniffed out where we left the leash. We have about 5 million olfactory receptors, meaning their sense of smell is up to 100,000 times stronger than ours. The documentary explained that dogs literally “see with their noses,” mapping out environments through scent the way we scan a room with our eyes.
💨 A quick sniff of a lamppost? It tells them who’s been there, what they ate, how old they are, and what kind of day they had. It's smell-based storytelling.
Even time isn’t linear to a dog—it’s olfactory. Dogs can gauge how long you’ve been gone based on how much of your scent has evaporated.
Then there's tail language:
A wag to the right = relaxed, happy.
A wag to the left = anxious or unsure.
No wag = time to read the room.
And those famous “puppy dog eyes”? Totally calculated. After domestication, dogs developed extra facial muscles to raise their eyebrows and mimic human emotion. It's not just cute—it’s biologically strategic.
🎓 Bonus fact: Petting your dog increases oxytocin in both of you. That’s the same bonding hormone released when a parent holds their newborn.
Beau’s tail wags hard right when he sees us go for the car keys—he knows we’re about to head out. A slight head nod and he shoots out of his spot like a Black Cat was lit under him. Dogs are emotional supercomputers with noses that map space and eyes designed to disarm. No wonder they run the house.
Do you have a furry companion?
3. Vitamin D: Sunshine, Strength & Brain Fuel You Can’t Skip ☀️
“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.” – Irish Proverb (…but don’t forget the sunshine.)
Dr. Rhonda Patrick’s Aliquot podcast just dropped a heavy-hitting episode about Vitamin D—and it sent me down a rabbit hole that ended in even more respect for this underrated nutrient. So let's revisit the topic.
🎧 The Aliquot #102: Why Vitamin D Deficiency Accelerates Brain Aging covers the essentials. But here’s what stuck with me—and a few lesser-known gems that’ll have you rethinking your morning routine.
🧠 Brainpower in a Bottle (or the Sun)
Vitamin D is actually a prohormone that behaves like a steroid hormone, regulating over 1,000 genes—many tied to memory, inflammation, and brain health.
Studies show higher D levels are associated with larger hippocampal volume, the brain's memory command center.
A UK Biobank study found Vitamin D sufficiency could reduce dementia risk by up to 40%.
Translation? Vitamin D might be the MVP of your morning stack.
💪 Strength, Testosterone & Muscle Activation
Vitamin D plays a direct role in muscle fiber firing and strength output.
It supports testosterone production in men and helps with recovery, drive, and resilience.
Older adults with low D are more likely to fall, lose balance, or suffer from frailty.
🛡️ Immunity & Inflammation
It boosts antimicrobial proteins like cathelicidin, strengthening your immune system against infections.
Low D = high CRP (C-reactive protein), a marker for systemic inflammation.
D also plays a role in modulating autoimmune responses—especially relevant in conditions like multiple sclerosis and eczema.
🌚 Sleep, Mood & Mental Rhythm
Vitamin D interacts with your brain’s master clock, helping regulate melatonin and sleep cycles.
Deficiency is linked to insomnia, depression, and mood instability, especially in the darker months.
People with optimal D levels report better sleep, vivid dreams, and sharper focus.
☀️ What to Do About It
Target level: 40–60 ng/mL (ask for the 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood test).
Supplement: 2,000–5,000 IU/day, ideally paired with Vitamin K2 (MK-7).
Natural sources: Salmon, sardines, beef liver, egg yolks, sunlight.
Morning sunlight: Just 15–20 minutes on your face and arms can produce up to 10,000 IU.
I’ve been stacking Vitamin D alongside my Plexus routine each morning—paired with a walk with Shelby and Beau to soak up that early sun.
D isn’t just about bones—it’s a foundation for energy, clarity, strength, and resilience.
It is also the only supplement that is not naturally produced in our bodies. Don't wait, supplement NOW.
🔗 Listen to Rhonda’s full episode here
4. Independence Day: Fascinating Facts You Didn’t Learn in School
“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” – George Washington
This week, we don’t just celebrate a date—we honor the courage and conviction of those who believed in a radical idea: that people should govern themselves. The founding fathers risked everything in pursuit of liberty—not just from foreign rule, but from oppressive systems and the absence of personal and economic freedom. They were farmers, lawyers, merchants, and thinkers—imperfect and diverse—yet united in their rejection of tyranny. They drew from Enlightenment philosophy, examined the collapse of empires, and debated tirelessly to establish something lasting. Their legacy wasn’t just independence—it was the birth of a framework for freedom rooted in representation, law, and individual rights. That pursuit of freedom echoed through a bloody revolution, endured the weight of disagreement and debate, and sparked the creation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. And today, it echoes still—in every effort to speak honestly, grow forward, and stand for something. And the story behind it is full of surprises:
📜 July 4 wasn’t the signing date
Only the draft was adopted that day. Most signers didn’t put pen to parchment until August 2, 1776.
🎆 John Adams wanted July 2nd
That’s when the vote passed. He even refused to celebrate the 4th.
☠️ Two presidents died on July 4
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams—on the 50th anniversary in 1826.
🦃 Ben Franklin preferred the turkey
He called the bald eagle “a bird of bad moral character.” Imagine the merch.
🗽 First fireworks? 1777 in Philly
Cannons, bonfires, and sky explosions. The party started early.
Freedom isn’t always clean. It’s messy. Wild. Worth it. Kind of like cottonwood fluff.
And as we celebrate freedom this week, I’m reminded: independence isn’t just political—it’s personal. It’s a sacrifice. It’s the choice to learn, to move, to grow. To adapt. To improve. To get 1% better. Cheers to that.
What are you celebrating?
5. 🍺 Beverage of the Week: Yuengling Lager
“America’s Oldest Brewery, Still Independent.”
This week’s beverage nod goes to Yuengling Lager, the oldest operating brewery in the United States—founded in 1829 in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Still family-owned and operated six generations later, Yuengling represents the spirit of resilience and independence we’re toasting to this July 4th.
A medium-bodied, roasted caramel malt lager with a smooth finish, it’s a working man’s classic that pairs perfectly with backyard BBQs, camp chairs, and stories under the stars. No fancy garnish, no pretense—just American craftsmanship in a brown bottle.
🇺🇸 Raise one for liberty, legacy, and that first sip of cold beer after a hot summer day.
That’s a wrap on Week 18.
As the fireworks fade and the cotton settles, here’s the spark that lingers: freedom wasn’t just won—it’s something we keep building, one decision at a time. This week reminded me how much power lives in paying attention—to nature, to science, to history, and to our own routines. Thanks for riding along each week as we explore what it means to stay free, stay grounded, and grow just a little bit stronger, wiser, and more curious.
Whether you’re out camping, grilling, walking the pup, or cracking open a cold one under the stars—stay curious, stay grateful, and stay you.
Cheers
— Chance