Wow! This year is gone already. I can't believe how much I have changed from December 31st 2017. I've lost 22 pounds this year and reconnected with learning to eat again. I volunteered for the New Mexico State Park system. Which included picking up trash, cleaning campsites and even a few days at the Visitor's Center helping folks get ready to camp. Today I look back on a few things that I have learned. This is going to be a long one. :)
NOTE: These contain generalizations with the idea that you are intelligent enough that no statement can be ALL or EVERYONE.
1. People are generally self centered.
Why do I think this? Look around you. We are in a political world where people are OK with kids being put in camps. They are OK with the rights of LGBTQI and People of Color being suppressed. Even a President I have the utmost regards for took money from lobbyist groups and made decisions that were not necessarily in the best interest of some/all of these groups. I am self centered. While I do what I can to help those around me by sharing information and even providing financial assistance if necessary, ultimately my focus is my family first. Survival is the most important thing. With that, we must also remember that we create bonds across communities and should work to strengthen those bonds whenever we can. It may go outside your comfort zone. We have to stand up for equality and fairness at all times. So this year, I plan to take the extra step to not only care for me and mine but also add a branch out there to help others a little more. Speak up when I see injustice and can do so safely. Call out racism. Call out homophobia and trans-phobia. Speak up when I see injustice. At some point, we must make it as uncomfortable as possible for hatred to exist. Those with voices of privilege I call on you to do that.
2. Self Care is mandatory.
I originally had three different entries that pointed to this same idea. Be it a corporation you work for or simply dealing with your family, you cannot pour from an empty cup. We hear all the time, "Oh take time for yourself" or "Treat yourself"; But how many of us actually do that? After completing my certification as a Holistic Wellness Coach, I discovered very quickly that I was not taking care of myself. I was rushing around, trying to get everything done. Oh sure, my boss was thrilled, my project partners love me. They all say things like, "You follow up so quickly" or "Renee is always on time and present". I was. For them. I would work when I was not feeling well. I would log in 2 hours early and stay 2 hours late. I would accept every project that someone asked of me in both my professional and personal life. I would take on groups to manage on Facebook or Pages to build all in an effort to help others while completely depleting my own personal energy reserves. The last part of 2018 I finally managed to find some peace within myself and give myself permission to just veg on the couch and do nothing. At anytime, I can start my day over. I can say "You know what, I'm done with this now and I need a break." Taking time for yourself is important. I started a new page that has nothing to do with anything other than sharing photos I like. I love that page. It doesn't have the highest following or share edgy political stuff. I'm probably never going to be featured as some best new page. But I really love it. (Peace, Love & Bohemian)
Take time for yourself. Trust me, there are enough people out there ready to run you down. Don't be one of them.
3. Empathy is more than not sharing images on Facebook.
I see so many people talk about being empathic and how they can't see animals being hurt on Facebook. Then I watch these same people sharing their dinners. As I finished my classes on wellness and began studying nutrition I learned very quickly that we as humans do not need meat to live. And when I say studying, I mean reading articles and abstracts from NIH (National Institute of Health) and attending lectures that were presented by the leaders in health and nutrition such as Joel Furhman M.D., Colin T. Campbell PhD., Dean Ornish M.D., John McDougall M.D. I learned how much our food industry has been impacted by big business and how the businesses that are feeding you are the same ones who give you medication when you get sick. They are then treating you in the hospitals and offering you supplements that try to replace what they are taking out of the food. They tell you to eat process meat which is a class one carcinogen. Meaning it causes cancer. Just this morning I saw a share of one of my empathic witchy friends, who loves everyone, who says don't share pics of tortured animals, yet posted an image of their meat containing meal. If you can get energy from a rock or a tree, if you can feel the presence of those who have passed away, if you can call upon the spirits of those haunting a space and help them move on, you cannot also not feel the pain and suffering of those animals being killed for food. You cannot "not" feel the sadness of the dairy cow whose baby is pulled from her just hours after birth. You cannot "not" feel the pain and suffering. I'm sure this is going to piss some people off, but that's just how I feel about it. If you stop for a moment and do some research on factory farming practices, you'll know what "free range" and "cage free" mean and how horribly food animals are treated. This is something I am newly discovering and will be looking into learning more about in the future. I challenge you to learn about it as well. Don't come to defend your position without doing some hard research on factory farming, animal welfare and health and wellness in human beings.
4. Its never too late to start over.
Finally, it is never too late to start over. I have said this for years, but only gave others permission to do this. I have to give myself permission to say, "I don't know." I have to give myself permission to say, "No, I don't like that" or "No, I don't want to do that." You don't have to have a reason to just say, "Its been a rough day, I'm starting over." Then do it. Just start your day over again putting all the negative behind you and moving forward. When people post negative on your page, when people get mad when you tell them to cheer up. Just stop, shake it off and move on. I'm going to spend time trying to focus on this. I'm not going to carry the negative with me. Create a jar if you have to. Write it down, drop it in the jar and leave it there.
So that's it. That's my year. Eli and I have started a new venture called Real Rations. It is a place to help share the information we have found related to health and nutrition. There are forums and blog posts, recipes, food plans - All free. We just want to help others do what we did. Together we lost 200 pounds. I can't believe it really. But here we are. I invite you to head over - check out the page and maybe try adding a few more veggies to your diet. Thank you so much for your comments and feedback over this last year on this blog. I will be doing another huge book giveaway around my birthday in February as a thank you to all of you.
Wishing you a glorious 2019!
Sosanna
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