Trust Your Gut {Pt. 2}

It's enough to make a person scream. The vacillating opinions of so-called nutritionistas (if I say a word and you understand the word, then it's a word. Just look at a dictionary from ten years ago. And then...one from today. All kinds of "new" words in today's. Even if some of them are dumb. Like "selfie". Dumb word. But oh-so-familiar now.)

As I was saying...

The vacillating opinions of nutritionistas whose findings change yearly. First you're not supposed to eat the egg yolks. Too much fat. Then, they tell you, the egg white actually balances the fat of the yolk, so it's now "the perfect food". Or fatty foods. Like avocados. Don't eat them! They're loaded with fat! Next week, avocados are also "the perfect food" because, as it turns out, we need that kind of fat. Or fish. Or bread. Or pasta. The list goes on and on. In the end, you just never know what foods are "good" for you and which ones are gonna kill ya.

Aside #1: Just the other day I saw something that read "eating seven or more servings of fruits/vegetables a day reduces the risk of death by 42%."

Okay...first of all, I don't care how many servings you eat, you're still gonna die. Eventually. Second, why are we so obsessed with not dying? We all know it's inevitable. We all know we can't beat it. So what the f#@! is the big deal? From the moment we're born, we begin the journey to death. It is what it is. Get over it.

So then...back to the food thing.

In the end, if you really are paying attention to your own body, it's going to tell you what's good for you and what isn't. You're going to feel it. If you're paying attention. You don't need a degree in nutrition to understand the fundamentals of good eating. Your cravings? They're telling you that your body needs something that particular food holds. Assuming you're already taking good care of yourself. You know...balanced meals, working out, meditating, and all that jazz.

Balance. Good, basic balance.

In the end...it really is about trusting your gut. In the most literal terms. Your gut houses a plethora of microscopic goodies that really do affect the whole rest of your body. If you balance your food intake, your gut will do the rest. But even if you eat the best foods; organic and fresh and leafy and lean, if you're all stressed out all the time, all that good eatin' isn't going to help. Stress will kill you faster than McDonald's Big Macs (ICK. ICK. ICK.) or drinking a fifth of Jack Daniels every day.

Back to balance.

When folks talk about "holistic" medicine, they're talking about the WHOLE of you. That equals body/mind/spirit. So eating well doesn't mean diddly if you're not taking care of the other two "parts". You don't need to run marathons or meditate four hours a day. You just need to make some time to push your body a bit so it gets all heated up (a little sweat will do) and take some quiet time to calm your mind. Gardening is just as meditative as sitting in the lotus position. Or playing with your critter. Or taking a soothing walk. Anything that will get your busy brain to shut up for a while. That's as much a meditation as anything your local guru can offer.

Get where I'm going here?

Your gut, as it were, is as much the physical stomach as it is your intuition. So trust it. Listen. And take some time to take care of you.

In the end, when death comes a'knockin', instead of being afraid, perhaps you'll meet it with a smile and say "I'm ready. What's next?"

it's pretty easy to make a difference ~~~

When November rolls around, all the stores are already overflowing with holiday 'stuff'. Regardless of one's religious or spiritual beliefs, it's impossible not to note the inundation of advertising during 'the season'. Sadly, with those urgent messages to BUY BUY BUY, also comes a great deal of stress. Whether it's because you don't have enough money or you're just too damned busy, stress levels rise and all too often, the whole 'reason for the season' is lost. It sucks.

Depending on your personal beliefs, the whole "Christmas" thing may mean very little or it may mean everything to you. While the Vatican claims it's the celebration of the day Jesus was born, historical data proves otherwise. Jesus had to have been born sometime in the Spring, based on the location of said stars and stories of those who were there. Short of getting into all that, let's just say that I don't honor the day for the birth of Jesus. I honor the SEASON for it's origin: The Winter Solstice. Does this mean that I don't honor those who do believe in Christmas? Not at all. I was reared as a catholic, so there are many in my world who hold those beliefs. I say, "to each his own". It doesn't really matter to me why or what you believe so much as how you live those beliefs. In other words, if you're walkin' your talk, then BRAVO TO YOU. And if Christmas is your thing, I got no bones about that either.

But here's the thing: through all the searching and experiencing and learning, where I finally arrived was in this beautiful place of giving. Tis the season to GIVE. (why we don't do this year round is a mystery to me, but that's a whole 'nother story). I've had the bountiful blessings to have met quite a lot of folks who're really terrific at this whole giving thang. One in particular is a lady named Jenna who came up with the idea to make gifts with her children and then put them up on her Blog for people to have a chance to win. A sort of Christmas Sweepstakes. A really awesome idea, especially given that her whole intention was to teach her kids about the spirit of giving. I say she should get the Mom of the Year Award for that!

So, when I found out about her project, I just couldn't resist getting in touch to ask if I, too, could donate a gift for this wonderful little Giving Extravaganza. It just sounds like so much fun. And what resulted was that not only did I realize I had quite a lot I could give, but the entire time I was getting it all together, I was filled with that same tickle in my belly that I once had as a child on Christmas Eve. The anticipation of giving what my hands had created was so much better than going shopping. I could see folks getting their awarded gift, all excited and grateful for having won. THIS is what the season is about. If we're going to honor the day Jesus was born or honor the Winter Solstice or whatever...how 'bout we make it more about the giving...the giving of parts of ourselves. Forget all the commercial mumbo jumbo! Make a batch of cookies or some homemade spaghetti sauce or some cool little baskets filled with whatever floats your boat. It's really so easy to give...and it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg (or maybe that should be "a heart attack and a nervous breakdown?!).

I hope, while you go about the business of the 'holidays', you will keep your Spirit connected to your Source. This is where the joy of the season is....so let's pass it on and have some fun, yes?