Disease

"I have recieved no assurance that anything we do will eradicate suffering. I think the best results are obtained by people who work quietly away at limited objectives...just as the dentist who can stop one toothache has deserved better of humanity than all the men who think they have some scheme for producing a perfectly healthy race."

-C.S. Lewis

I like food fads. It's that simple. I've tried recipes from every angle. Sugar free, vegan, raw, primal, vegetarian, gluten free, organic. The list goes on. The only problem with food fads is that they all have some sort of disclaimer that if everyone followed this way of eating, the world would be a perfectly healthy place. No disease. No heart problems. No sickness. No weight problems. You name it.

My opinion: Find a food routine that works for your life and your body. No two bodies are the same. Strive to be healthy but don't let it consume you. Share what works for you so others can experiment and benefit and discover their balance too. There is not only one road to health. Love God above all else and love people above food or health or some perfect ideal.

But a chocolate a day does wonders for a weary soul :)

Right-Side Up

I got a job last week at a chocolate factory. They told me they would offer me a two week trial to see how it goes, make sure I was a good fit for them and they were a good fit for me. It wouldn't be full time and after the busy chocolate season (November through April) there probably wouldn't be many hours but it was a job and it got me some income so I could move back into the Red House. In the meantime, State Farm Insurance was calling me several times a day trying to get me in for an interview. We've played phone tag for a week trying to get in contact.

I've been stressing for a week whether or not I even want to go in for an interview. I loved the chocolate factory. It was fun. It was new. It was different. State Farm would be job security though. State Farm would be predictable. State Farm would be stable. This morning I got up and had a serious and long conversation with God. What am I supposed to do?? Do you want me here or do you want me there? All I got in response was wait. But I can't wait! I need to get in touch with State Farm as soon as possible! I need to make a move! Wait.

So I waited. This afternoon, right before I left the chocolate factory (as I was planning in my head exactly what I would say to State Farm when I called) the owners pulled me into the office for a quick meeting. "We would like to put you on full-time and give you a raise. Also, we'd like to put you completely in charge of the sugar-free line and there is opportunity for more responsibility in the spring. Any questions?"

Any questions? Yeah I got a few. God, why don't I trust you more?

This is my world back to right-side up.

I think... :)

"Coming Out"

Last week I came across a blog called Sweetly Raw. She's a raw food dessert chef. The blog was so cute and I was immediately curious to see if in fact it was possible to create delicious raw desserts, so I started following it. On Sunday her post was labeled "Coming Out". I assumed I knew what that meant but two paragraphs in I realized she was talking about something quite different. She went on to tell how she's been vegan for over 10 years and in the past 5 months her body had been rapidly going downhill. Finally, at the end of the summer it got so bad she broke down and sought help from a friend that was a homeopathic doctor. After several tests her friend's advice, among other things, was to start incorporating meat into her diet. This was completely contrary to everything she had thought and practiced. It completely flipped her world upside down but the crazy part is, it worked. Her body started working properly. Her health began to slowly return.

And now it's my turn to "come out". I thought I've been doing things right. I thought I was following God. I thought He was leading me to Idaho. Little did I know that two days before leaving, after quitting my job, packing all my boxes and over a month of anticipation, He pressed the breaks, hard. Now it's time for me to go to the Great Physician and get advice. Where do you want me now? As day by day I give it all to Him, I've found it easy to jump into job searching. I'm hopeful. I'm ready. I want to be where He wants me and I'm learning to wait and listen. He had to flip my world upside down to get to me and now I have to be willing to let Him show me how it should look right-side up.

*Deep Breath*

Let go Nicole.

Don't be a control freak.