Permission to Live

Do you wake up with a to-do list on your mind, instantly thinking about what you need to do in the next few hours, how to get ready quickly, what you have to get done after work, how to work something into your schedule, what you're going to make for dinner and whether you have the ingredients for it, and so on? If so, you are not present in your life. Aren't you tired of going through the motions and having days, weeks and months speed by with no sign of pleasure or fulfillment besides the occasional fun night out, really delicious meal or romantic surprise from a lover? These things are wonderful of course, but wouldn't you rather feel happy every day? Wouldn't you rather feel fulfilled and at peace all of the time, regardless of how long your to-do list is, how much your back hurts, how many more hours you have until you get off work, etc? It's possible! It requires a serious lifestyle overhaul, but it is possible. It requires making dramatic, life-affirming changes in your life, but again, it is possible. You have so much living left to do, so why live it shelled up?.

Unfortunately, for most people it takes a crisis for us to realize the true value of life, that life is a gift, that we control our own destiny through the choices we make. It's empowering to say to yourself "If I'm unhappy, it's my fault I'm unhappy. My choices, my actions, my priorities have brought me to the exact spot where I stand today." because when you take ownership of your life, you give yourself the power to change it.

Life is a terminal condition. Someday, we're all going to die. The question 'if you had just one week, one month, one year left to live, how would you spend it?' makes me laugh, because when most people are asked this question, their answers are grand and inspiring. Well, guess what, depending on your age, you have anywhere between 1 minute and 80 years left to live. So how are you going to spend it?

Stop living life from paycheque to paycheque, from vacation to vacation, from weekend to weekend. Every day has the possibility to be the best day ever. It all depends on the choices you make and the outlook you have. You will never get today back, so why not be joyful and adventurous from this moment on? As soon as you close the browser, why not go for a walk in the grass in bare feet, try a crazy outlandish recipe you've never considered, give your stuff away, visit your grandmother, do something you have been putting off because there's no deadline for actually doing it. Stop waiting for some crisis or life-shattering event to give you the permission to live. Start now! Get going!

Your Life = Your Message

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a man of great passion. He was a political and spiritual leader in India during the India independence movement. He was a pioneer, social and political activist, and his name was Gandhi. I'm sure many of you have heard of him.

Gandhi was once asked by a reporter, "What is your message?" He responded by jotting down on a piece of paper, "My life is my message."

This is true of all of us. Our lives are our message. We can shout protests about clear-cutting forests from rooftops and think that is our message, but really it's what we do the rest of the the time that makes a difference. Gandhi could have sat in an easychair and told his friends and family about his beliefs, but if he had, what change would he have inspired? None of us would know who he is today. He wouldn't have inspired radical change during his life and the lives of many afterwards. He understood, the way most of us need to understand, the fact that without positive action towards change, our beliefs mean nothing. If we're not willing to take the time to live what we believe, to work towards social, political and environmental change, our lives and our potential is wasted.

This can be as simple as knowing it's wrong to eat animals and therefore not eating them. It could mean wanting more compassion and kindness in the world, and volunteering at a homeless shelter, donating food to a soup kitchen or simply getting to know your neighbours. Our beliefs can become manifest in our lives only by combining those beliefs with action.

Julia Butterfly Hill said "No matter the diversity of beliefs, we all know we live in a world full of problems. Yet, one of the biggest problems is that not enough of us realize that we also live in a world full of solutions- and then live our lives as these solutions in action." Basically, instead of sitting around feeling depressed, discouraged and helpless about the state of the world, we should acknowledge that our choices can make a difference, that our lives can make a difference, and get out there and make a difference! Knowing that one person has the potential to inspire radical change, what are we waiting for?

The way you live your life can be an incredible inspiration to others. Seeing someone who is living a healthy, active life usually makes people think about their own habits of eating and exercising. Seeing someone who is kind and generous makes people think about how they treat and react to others. Seeing someone donate their time or money to a worthy cause makes people wonder what they could be doing, or why they aren't doing anything!

Look at your life. How many hours a week do you spend watching television or doing something similarly sedentary? What if you used just one hour of that time trying to make a positive change in someone else's life. What if you baked cookies for your local soup kitchen, visited someone in a retirement home or volunteered at your local humane society or homeless shelter? What if you went for a walk and smiled at everyone you passed? One hour a week could make a big difference in the lives of many. I guarantee you will quickly notice that the wonderful thing about helping others is that you are also helping yourself. People who are generous with their time and resources are happier as a whole than people who don't because it feels good!

Our world is suffering and action is the antidote. What kind of action will you take? What message will you send out to the world?

Aparigraha

Today I'd like to discuss the joy of simplicity.

Aparigraha is the concept of non-posessiveness. It means to limit posessions to what is necessary or most important. It is a lifestyle embraced by people all over the world, and is beginning to grow a following in North America. In our culture it is known as 'voluntary simplicity' and more and more people are daily giving up their 'possession obsession' for a more fulfilling lifestyle.

Every object we own and every object we buy is something that we have to pay for, care for, clean and ultimately dispose of someday...and as I discussed in my last post, even when we throw things 'away', they never actually go 'away'. So why are we as a culture so obsessed with possessions? Why are we so wrapped up in our desire to purchase goods and services in ever greater amounts? Houses are getting bigger. Cars are getting fancier. Kids have so many toys that they forget about half of them, and always want something new and flashy they see on TV. For that matter, so do us adults. Why do we need to trade in our cell phones every few months for the newest model? Why do we need so many gadgets? Three living rooms? Two dining rooms? Five bathrooms? Three cars? So many clothes and shoes that it takes half an hour to choose what to wear? It's ridiculous! More importantly, why haven't we noticed that no matter how fancy our cars are, how many expensive pairs of shoes we have, how many applications our phone has, we aren't any happier than before?

I used to be a shopaholic. I couldn't have enough clothes. I didn't care too much about cell phones and computers and fancy cars, but I did have 5 different IPods. And guess what? None of that fulfilled me. Every time I went shopping I would lay out my new clothes and stare at them with a feeling of accomplishment and excitement. Then in a few minutes, hours or days that feeling would be gone and I would be back at the mall looking for my next 'high'. I'm sure many of you have experienced the same thing.

I've discovered the joy of simplicity by coincidence, not because I planned it. In the past few years, I've read articles online and in magazines about people who had embraced simplicity and found themselves more happy and fulfilled, and they always caught my eye and got me thinking about how nice that lifestyle sounded, but then I would usually close the magazine or shut off my computer, grab an iced cappuccino and hit the mall. I can't tell you how many times I considered giving away my stuff and living a simple existence. But I would also think to myself "Well, if you're going to change your lifestyle, you're going to need a new wardrobe, a new image." Yes, I do know how ridiculous that sounds. How I discovered the joy of simplicity is actually pretty funny. It started with me finding out I was pregnant.

For the first part of my pregnancy I had to cut back on spending because I knew I had a baby on the way, and my frivolous spending habits had to be reined in. Then I began to grow...and grow...and grow. As I grew, clothes started to get tighter...and tighter...and tighter, until eventually one morning I was trying to get dressed to go out and realized I had zero clothes that fit. So, with a limited amount of money, I had to go get a few things. I bought a couple of essentials...two pairs of pants, a good bra and a couple of shirts. Being someone who is used to being very fun and creative with what I wear, I felt a little depressed with my new boring monochromatic wardrobe. Everything I wore was either, black, grey or white. I found myself dressing outfits up with colourful scarves or fun jewellery that I had before but always took for granted. My wardrobe has grown a little bit since then, but not by much. Something I've learned from that experience is that it is wonderfully refreshing to be able to shower, brush my hair, dab some lotion on my face and throw on an outfit and be ready to go in 15 minutes. Freedom from fashion brainfreeze is just one of the perks I've noticed about my simple wardrobe.

I recently decided to take things further. I'm moving to Nova Scotia in a week, and I was constantly stressing about what to bring, what to leave, what to pack and send there by mail, how much I would be able to fit in my suitcase, what the weight limit on the plane was...etc. Then as I sat on my bed, exhausted and frustrated with this line of thinking I looked around and asked myself what I would truly miss if I simply left everything here except the necessities. I realized that aside from a couple of items that are very precious to me (a vase made by a friend, a jewellery box my grandfather bought my grandmother when they were teenagers, a picture frame, a few pictures, a set of windchimes, my two favourite books and my apron) I wouldn't miss much if I didn't bring it along. Since I haven't worn most of my clothes for months I knew I wouldn't miss them. I've already read all of my books, and could easily pick them up at a library if I wanted to read them again. I don't need 13 pairs of running shoes. I don't need 10 different flavours of scented candles. I don't need a collection of 100 DVD's. I really don't need 13 bottles of lotion in various scents or 7 different bottles of hair product. In fact, I don't even want any of this anymore. I was so disgusted looking around and thinking about how much money I've wasted on all of this stuff that I wanted to cry. I also wanted to go back in time and save all that money! In the end, I decided to donate most of my earthly possessions to the local soup kitchen and bring one suitcase with me on the plane, and mail a small box of my favourite keepsakes to make myself feel at home. That's it. That's all.

Realizing that possessions don't make me happy and deciding to give most of them away is such a free-ing choice to make. I feel light and unencumbered. I know if I wanted to move somewhere, I can pack up my small amount of belongings and just go. And I honestly don't miss any of it. I know the people who have my old things have very little and truly appreciate them more than I ever could. Fancy shirts I wore no more than twice and have forgotten about for the past two years are now the prized possessions of women who probably haven't owned anything nice in a long time. Knowing that belongings that mean so little to me have enriched someone else's life who normally wouldn't be able to afford such things is satisfying. More satisfying than any shopping trip I've ever been on.

Simplicity doesn't have to mean giving up all of your earthly posessions. We can weave simplicity into our lives in small ways. Yesterday I wanted to cheer up a friend, so I made her a homemade bracelet and homemade card, stuck them in an envelope and mailed them, which I know will go much further than a Hallmark card that costs $6.50 and took me no more time or thought than picking it out and writing a message in it. I have always enjoyed homemade gifts more then ones bought in a store. Why not give someone herbs you have carefully planted and tended to, or a scarf you've spent hours knitting with that person in mind, or a handpainted vase you made them? Those gifts mean so much more than things bought in a store. Simplicity can mean growing your own vegetables in a window garden. It can mean keeping one cell phone until it breaks or becomes obsolete. It can mean going for a walk with a loved one instead of spending $200 on a night out. The great thing about simplicity is that it's so simple.

I challenge you to give it a try. Next time you're out shopping, ask yourself if the item you're considering is something you really need. Put it back on the shelf and if you still want it in a week then go back and get it. Odds are you will have forgotten about it by then. Simplicity is easy, fun, and refreshing. I'm going to link to a few articles about voluntary simplicity that really moved me. I hope they inspire you!

Back to Basics: Living With Voluntary Simplicity

When Less Is More

Thoughts on Voluntary Simplicity

Our Disease of Disconnect

I think it's important for us to take care of our minds and hearts along with our bodies. All people need to realize that every decision we make in every aspect of our lives has far-reaching consequences. When we make a decision we need to think of that decision as a middle point on a piece of thread. The choices we make about food, shopping, clothing, entertainment, daily interactions with strangers, the way we spend our free time, the way we clean our houses, the way we raise our children...all of these choices make a difference in the world. A great many people say that what one person does soesn't matter...many people think that one person's choice to abstain from meat or shopping or a certain religion has no effect on the universe as a whole, but they're wrong. One person's decision to eat vegan saves 98lbs of beef, 67lbs of pork and 102lbs of chicken annually, based on the average North American diet. If everyone in the country decided to go without our daily 8 ounces of meat for one day a week, we would save more greenhouse gas emissions over the course of a year than if we gave up traveling by cars, trains, planes and ships combined. And that is just one serving a day, one day a week, for one year. Let's also remember that one person's lifestyle decision can inspire other people, who can inspire other people, and so on. Keep this in mind as you read further.
In the video above, Julia Butterfly Hill talks about the 'disease of disconnect'. What that means is that when we make everyday choices, we rarely think about the consequences of those choices. How many of you think nothing of going to Tim Hortons or Starbucks for a cup of coffee? For most people it's just a part of their every day routine. A learned behaviour that they have become numb to the consequences of because they have become mentally disconnected from the earth and it's inhabitants. I'm making an assumption here, but I assume that when the average Joe buys a cup of coffee, he may wonder whether it's fair trade, but if it isn't that probably won't affect his decision. And furthermore, I'm sure he doesn't think about the fact that it's being served to him in a paper cup that once used to be part of a forest that was clear-cut in order to supply our growing demand of paper products, stealing homes from wildlife and clean air from the lungs of the people whose communities surround it. Does he think about the petroleum complex in Ecuador, Africa, Alaska, etc. when he sees the barista pop a plastic lid onto his cup? Or is his mind somewhere else entirely? This isn't meant as an accusation, it's meant as a call to consider what events have lead up to you, your friend or a stranger holding that cup of coffee. Now consider what events will follow. Will he throw it 'away'? There is no such place as 'away'. In our culture it is widely accepted that when you throw something in the trash it goes away...but it doesn't. It goes to a landfill. I won't insult your intelligence by explaining why that's not a good thing. But just consider how much trash could be avoided if one person skipped their daily cup of coffee (it's not good for us anyways!) made it at home, or brought a re-usable mug to the coffee shop? Now imagine how much trash one person could save over their lifetime by doing this! Get it? Our decisions matter. Our choices make a difference. We have the power to affect change!
We have this problem of disconnect in most areas of our lives. The way we raise our children affects the way they interact with other children, who they will grow up to become, how they raise their children, and so on. How we choose to shop affects our mental health, the people who created the product we're buying, the landfill that ultimately has to accomodate our waste when we (or the person we gave or sold an item to) choose to throw it 'away'. Every product is made from materials that came from somewhere, then was assembled by someone, then was driven in a truck or flown in a plane or shipped by boat or train to get to the store we're buying it from. Every animal we eat supports a meat industry that is exploiting animals, polluting the environment and putting family farmers out of business. Every decision we make about food will affect us sometime in the future, whether it be through disease, obesity, general lack of well-being or the eating habits we teach our children. The way we treat strangers affects the way they treat other people and the way they feel, which can affect decisions they make throughout their day. I'm sure you're getting the point here. Every decision we make not only matters, but has a huge potential to make a difference in the world. There is a beginning and an end to the string our choices hang on. Consider both ends of that string when you make your decisions. Think before you choose. If we all truly thought about the events leading up to our actions and the results afterwards, I think most of us would change the way we choose to live.
The current state of the world is a direct result of our choices and of the choices of the people who came before us. Anyone can see where our choices have led us and are continuing to lead us. If we don't change the way we think, the way we act, the way we live...eventually the gift of life on planet earth will end. It starts with a handful of people realizing that their decisions matter and changing the way they live. A compassionate, loving, positive lifestyle is infectious! Making joyful, life-affirming choices and embracing the wonder of simplicity will inspire change in others. If not change, att the very least it will inspire thought in others.
I hope this has inspired you to look at your lifestyle and ask whether your life - beginning to end - is going to bring more good to the earth than harm. We have the power as individuals to change the world. Let's take that seriously!

Changes.

This past week has been insane! The amount of reading I've done and the resulting wisdom and clarity I've gained has been absolutely unreal. This will be my less-than-adequate attempt to describe what has happened in my life this past week.

First of all, I did a ton of research about the Raw Food Lifestyle, and not only were my suspicions about it's nutritious, life-giving, nourishing benefits absolutely correct, it goes even beyond that! In addition to the reading I've done (online articles, blogs of raw foodies, magazine articles) I watched two documentaries on this incredible lifestyle choice and it's enormous health benefits. One such documentary, called Simply Raw, about a group of six diabetics, two of them Type I, four of them Type II, chronicled a one-month lifestyle overhaul. These six people went to a place called the Tree of Life Healing Centre and started a month of 100% raw eating. Within days all except one of them were off their medication and soon enough they were living without insulin shots - a dream for most diabetics. All of them lost significant amounts of weight, found themselves having more energy and feeling like brand-new people. All because of what they chose to put in their mouths. I seriously recommend watching this movie as it will change your perspective about food completely. Here's the link: http://www.novamov.com/video/49aae4406d96f

The other documentary is called Food Matters and is about the health industry, drug industry, raw food and it's immense health benefits, and vitamin therapy. It's an eye-opening movie about the way we are taught to approach sickness, disease and health, and our tendency as a society to use drugs to treat symptoms of sickness and disease instead of using food to treat the causes of sickness and disease, and it's ability to prevent them in the first place. Here's the link:
http://megavideo.com/?v=2TAZNZLA

Now, you may be wondering what form this research has taken in terms of change in my own life. Well, 3 days ago I began eating about 70% raw. Besides raw foods I also ate corn on the cob en masse (a cooked food I doubt I will ever be able to live without!) and some whole grain foods. I've continued eating some whole grain foods mostly because I don't know enough yet about sprouted grains to nourish myself. Once I do though, you can bet I will.

The first day was hard, but not in terms of eating the food. I enjoy fruits a lot, but vegetables not so much and nuts and seeds not so much, but because I knew the life-giving qualities of these foods, it wasn't hard to make the change. The difficult part was not eating things that I have always considered very healthy foods, like whole wheat pasta, peanut butter, granola, etc. I have always thought eating meat and dairy is unhealthy (knowledge that I have made a habit of ignoring for most of my life because meat and dairy is yummy) so cutting those out wasn't hard.

The second day was hard because although the raw foods and huge amounts of water were already making me feel lighter and more energized, the toxins leaving my body were making me feel a bit grumpy and gave me a headache. This, I know, is what happens when your body is undergoing a detoxing process. Although it feels crappy, it's the body's way of silently cheering, of taking a great sigh of relief.

Today is day three, and I feel INCREDIBLE!!! I feel energized, vibrant and full of life! As soon as I woke up I felt cheerful, optimistic and ready for a wonderful day! I didn't think I would feel so great so fast, but lo and behold, I feel better than I've felt in months. This is already proving that education, not medication, is the way to feel better. Now that I've read about and experienced for myself the incredible difference living, raw food can make in the way I feel, I realize what a joyful, life-affirming choice it is to go raw.

Now for my drug rant...

Go to a hospital and look around. What you are looking at is the failure of medicine. Less than 6% of physician graduates have any formal training in nutrition. Doesn't that seem crazy to you? How about the fact that it's illegal in North America to treat cancer with nutrition? ILLEGAL. So we pump people full of drugs that don't work, and are suprised when they die...I know I'm repeating myself here, but doesn't that seem crazy to you? Medicine is a bandage, not a cure. If all we do is treat symptoms instead of the root cause of a problem, we will never heal. It's time we all realize this and stop popping pills at the first sign of discomfort instead of asking ourselves why we're feeling the way we're feeling. Doctors should be prescribing nutrition and exercise, not drugs. As far as the drug industry is concerned, the perfect drug is one that doesn't cure you, but one that you will have to continue taking over a long period of time. The drug industry is an industry, and the main goal of any industry is to make money. See where I'm going with this? If we continue giving our body drugs, we're not promoting health, we're promoting drugs.

As I've learned in the last little while, if you want to know how to live and nourish yourself in the best possible way, you have to dig. You have to really look for the information. How pathetic is that? But the information is out there. You are the only person who has the power to make choices that will allow yourself to live longer, live healthier and live vibrantly.

I obviously need to stick with this to find out what raw foods will mean for my long-term health, but I've read enough testimonies, seen enough videos and felt enough of a change in my life in just three days that I am sure the results are going to be amazing.

Stay tuned. :)

Television.

Last week a thought popped into my head...

"What if I stopped watching television?"

It didn't seem like a crazy idea to me, because to be honest I really don't like television. Besides the Gilmore Girls series that I own and watch on a regular basis because I LOVE it, and the Friends reruns and current season of Survivor, I really didn't think I would miss television if it wasn't a part of my life.

I decided to make a conscious effort to limit the amount of television I watch at that point. All week at times when I would normally flick on the television (while eating lunch, after a nap, arriving home from a walk and sitting down for a rest) I decided to occupy my time with other things. I also have a bad habit of watching television before bed, and at night when I can't get back to sleep (due to 4am bathroom breaks that are a seriously irritating pregnancy ritual) that I want to break.

These are a few things I noticed...

1- I slept better. By making the choice to read before bed I found my brain calming down faster, and by the time I was ready to sleep, I had no problem putting down my book, shutting of my light, and closing my eyes. With television, my bedtime would be decided by whatever program I was watching. When it was done, I would shut off the TV, ready for bed. Except that my brain wasn't so quick to calm down, leaving me laying in bed with a constant barrage of thoughts arguing for dominance in my head. This has habitually resulted in me turning the TV back on because clearly, I wasn't ready for bed yet...yeeash.

2- I had more time. I know this sounds weird, because technically I had no more time when I watched TV then I had when I didn't, but it felt like I did. How often do you find yourself looking at the clock and wondering where the past hour and a half went? (Let me give you a hint: It starts with turning on the TV, seeing your favourite show on and watching it, then noticing a rerun of a program you enjoy coming on next, then watching another re-run, because conveniently enough, they're airing back-to-back Seinfeld episodes today!) I know it's happened to everyone, some of us more than others. So ask yourself - what would you be doing with that hour and a half if not watching TV? I went outside, did research, cooked for my family, organized things, crossed things off my to-do list that had been left way too long, volunteered at my local soup kitchen and enjoyed relaxing in it's most basic form - sitting down, listening to some good music and drifting off into my head for awhile. At the end of the day, I felt I had gotten so much more accomplished. And who doesn't love that feeling?

3- More energy. Because I was sleeping more fitfully, getting outside more, taking more time to cook nutritious meals and getting the most out of relaxation time, I had more energy. I got through the day without feeling sluggish (as I often do when I realize it's time to roll off the couch and get moving) or lazy. I would move easily from one task to the next, and truly enjoyed relaxation time because I felt I had earned it.

4- I'm learning more. Because I spent time I would usually spend watching TV reading and doing research online, I have learned more in the past week about topics that really interest me than I have in months! I have a habit of writing down things I'd like to learn more about, and leaving these pieces of paper beside the computer for when I have time for them. Well guess what? I now had time for them. I bulldozed through all those pieces of paper and found myself making more lists because the topics I had researched had left me curious about other things. Who doesn't want to know more about the world around them?

Because of the incredible benefits I've already experienced from avoiding television, I decided to remove the television from my room. Now, in it's place sits a beautiful vase of flowers and a few candles. I have to say, not having a big black box in my room makes it feel so much more welcoming, relaxing and simple in here. I doubt I'm going to miss it.

My boyfriend has pointed out in the past that although I'm not a huge television fan, I do watch a lot of movies. I can't deny that. I could watch movies all day long (and have on occasion) and be perfectly content. I can watch a movie I like over and over and not get tired of it. I have a huge collection of them. The revelations of this past week have me wondering what would happen if I really stopped watching television in the sense that I would stop turning on the TV for the purose of watching anything - even movies. I'll bet I won't miss the movies I've already seen dozens of times. I'll bet going to the theatre and renting the occasional movie will feel like a real treat. I'll also bet that allowing myself to indulge in some movie-watching next time I'm sick will feel wonderful. I won't miss movies on TV, because I won't know they're on.

The prospect of life without television seems like a beautiful one to me. I also find it appealing that if I'm not a TV buff, my child won't grow up glued to the television either, but rather will see it as something we do as a family on occasion as a special treat. I really believe that is how TV should be enjoyed, and that very few people would be worse off without it.

I encourage anyone and everyone to try this out...even if just for a few days. If you try it and love it like I did, then good for you. If you were miserable, maybe you should ask yourself why. And if you aren't someone who watches it often and are good at controlling your television consumption, then props to you!

The Raw Food Lifestyle

Well, I've spent a significant amount of time over the past couple of days reading and learning about the raw food diet. Raw foodism is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet. Raw foodists typically believe that the greater percentage of raw food in the diet, the greater the health benefits.

I've come across many stories of people who have chosen a raw food lifestyle, and have reaped enormous benefits including weight loss, clearer skin, freedom from sickness and sluggishness, and basically improved overall health. Some of them have been so positively affected by this lifestyle choice that they have made a career out of the exploration and promotion of raw foodism. Their testimonies are truly inspiring.

A raw food diet basically consists of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouted grains and legumes. Raw foodists believe that food that has been cooked over temperatures of 115 degrees fahrenheit have lost much of their nutritional value. I plan on looking into that further.

The raw food lifestyle probably seems extreme, especially since to most people veganism seems extreme, and raw foodism goes even further beyond that in regards to the foods eliminated from the diet. However, one could also look at this diet as a very simple, incredibly healthy way to nourish the body. No-one can successfully argue that processed, hormone-injected, factory-farmed, pesticide ridden foods are healthier for our bodies. I dare anyone to try without sounding like a moron.

I've done enough research on the topic of the meat industry and factory farming to know that the meat we buy in the supermarket is not even close to being good for us, let alone safe to eat or without long-term health risks. Anyone who takes the time to read and learn about today's meat industry would find out the same thing. Most people, either knowing this or being ignorant of the fact, choose not to find out. After all, what you don't know can't hurt you right? Wrong.

I'm not going to be so ridiculous as to say that non-organic fruits and vegetables are bad for us. Pesticides are obviously not good for the body or the environment (a topic I also plan on researching in the near future) but the fruits and vegetables available at our local supermarkets are both healthy and nourishing, and perfectly adequate for us to include in our diets. However, being something of an extremist in terms of...well, everything...I don't want to eat an apple that is 'perfectly adequate' when I could be eating an apple that will taste better and provide me with an even greater sense of well being.

Martin Luther King Jr. said that the question was not 'Will we be extremists?' but rather 'What kind of extremists will we be?' If the alternative to being a healthy eating extremist is being an unhealthy, sluggish, overweight human on the path towards disease, discomfort in old age and unhappiness with my body and spirit, guess which extreme I'm going to choose?

I will be looking further into raw foodism in the next few days, but so far it's looking like this may be exactly the kind of diet (and by diet, I mean food for life, not 'lose weight quick' scheme) I've been looking for. We all have an inner guidance system, and as I learn and grow, I become more and more in tune with mine. Some people may not even be aware of their own, because when you make a habit of ignoring something long enough, eventually it doesn't even register in your mind anymore. A great example of this is the 'to eat meat or not to eat meat question' that enters everyone's mind at least a few times in their lives. Another is global warming. As society becomes more aware of the downward spiral we're all quickly being swallowed by, I believe it will become even harder to ignore issues like this. Maybe someday instead of being seen as extremists, granola-heads and health nuts, raw foodists will be seen as pioneers.

Will I be one of them? Only time will tell.

A Fresh Start.

I've started this blog to chronicle my journey towards optimum health and wellness. I want to write about what I learn and experience for both my benefit and the benefit of others.

You should also know - I'm five months pregnant.

This all started a few days ago at my prenatal appointment when I realized that in just 5 short months, I had gained nearly 35 pounds. My midwife assured me that because I am eating well and exercising daily, that this is just my body's way of being pregnant. However, I've always felt that there is a seldom-chosen, somewhat more complicated but infinitely better way to live than the way we learn to from mass media, health officials and popular culture. There has to be.

For the past few years, I have been experimenting with different ways to eat, exercise, relax and live my life. I've taught myself the art of eating so I feel good. I've taught myself to love running. I've fallen in love with nature and the peace it brings me.

Now that I have a life growing inside me, a human that I already love with all my heart, who depends on me with all of his, I'm humbled. I also feel an incredible sense of responsibility to live in a way that gives him the best start possible, and that will also teach him by example the most healthy and successful way to live his life. I don't want to look back and say that my son grew up to be overweight, sedentery, stressed-out or altogether unhealthy because of the example I gave him. I especially don't want him to say that. So here goes...

First Exploration: The Raw Food Movement

Stay tuned. :)