Sunday, January 12, 2014

Make no apologizes for who you are...


My family has been through some obstacles over the last couple of years that have forced us to examine some things and make some big changes. Like a lot of people, a big health scare can cause you to look at things related to your health and figure out how you can do things better. For my family that meant eating healthy and clean. My husband chose to go the vegan path (which truthfully I balked at in the beginning) and after experimenting with an elimination diet to see how food is effecting my body, I am now gluten free, dairy free (mostly), no eggs or processed foods. I try to buy most things organic, non GMO, and mostly foods with ingredients that are real. My kids have not been as excited to jump on the band wagon, but that is our work in process. Because most of what I have been taught by the world around me all my life (health class, commercials, magazines, etc) is less than accurate, I have had to seek out new knowledge. This learning has been eye-opening for me. I get excited and I want to share. Different people view this differently. Some of my friends are also excited by what I share, but I know others roll their eyes and probably feel as though I share too much. I would like to say right now, that if you do not appreciate what I share, than I am totally fine with being blocked or unfriended - I get it and I will not be hurt.

But let me explain why I share. First, my sharing is not about being better than anyone or judging you. How I choose to live my life, does not mean that I am judging how you live your life. I don't pretend to know everything and I certainly don't pretend to understand your journey. But I can share my journey and I do so for a couple reasons. One, I need to hold myself accountable. This is a major life change and it's hard sometimes to stay on a challenging path. What better way to hold myself accountable than to put it out there for my friends and family to see. The main reason I share, however, is because I want to help. Seriously! What I have been through in the last couple years and most recently when I changed how I viewed food, has been literally life changing for me. I have seen people struggle with weight, health and self worth both privately and now with social media, very publicly,  all my life. The messages out there prey on these struggles and a person's self worth. The diet industry has made billions on this viscous cycle they they created. If they told you the truth to being healthy, you would never need their products again. The truth is that there is no quick fix, no magic pill or shake or exercise video that will buy you what you want. But I digress...I share because I want to help anyone who is interested. Again, if you aren't interested than by all means, ignore me. But I do ask that you don't judge me because I am honestly not judging you.

One more thing I would like you to keep in mind is that I am not perfect. I have set some lofty goals for myself, but I am only human and as such, I fail sometimes. Sometimes I have a piece of pizza while at a party, sometimes I get my kids fast food for dinner, and I even die my hair with products that aren't organic knowing full well they are probably not the best for me. It happens and I am okay with that because I live in the real world with work and kids and basketball schedules and unexpected shit that happens from time to time. I cannot drive myself crazy about all the choices I make, but I can try my best to stick to my plan most of the time.

Your journey may not be about health. It may be about religion, education, love or changing the world. But you should never have to apologize for who you are or have others make you feel bad about your choices because they disagree. Our lives are hard enough when we have people on our side cheering us on. Let's all agree that we may not choose the same paths, but we can definitely choose to respect the paths that others have chosen.