Last month I was interviewed by a student at Santa Clara University (Daniella) for an assignment she had. During the conversation, my work at a homeless shelter came up. Daniella mentioned a project she was organizing with a group of classmates called “Meals on Heels”. Being the shoe addict AND food lover that I am, my interest was immediately peaked! I start thinking about what I’m going to eat for lunch before I finish my breakfast! And shoes…well, let’s just say that I can never have enough!
So I switched from interviewee to interviewer to get the scoop on “Meals on Heels”. It’s is an event that starts with a party and ends with an offering. Daniella and her friends will be hosting a free dinner (in heels I presume) for anyone in their community who enjoys a dose of real home cooking—no cafeteria lines, no fast foods bags, no processed ingredients. Just good old-fashioned delicious food! The only thing they are asking of their guests is to bring two canned food items that will be donated to a local food bank or shelter.
One of objectives of “Meals on Heels” is to remind us of the importance of food for the homeless, not only during the holidays but for the other 11 months out of the year too. Often we only think to donate food in December, but hey…people need to eat all year round! So next time you’re at the grocery store, imagine not knowing where your next meal will come from. Throw an extra item or two in your basket for someone who really needs it.
1/29/08
Meals on Heels
1/25/08
I'll Pass on The Girl Scouts
Whether it’s a colleague at work helping his daughter reach her quota, a friendly neighbor going door to door, or a niece who calls to remind you, it’s nearly impossible to miss the big Girl Scout cookie selling season. It’s going on right now. And I love cookies! Any kind—gooey, crunchy, chewy, nutty, crispy…you get the picture. I also love to support organizations that empower young women like the Girl Scouts. I’ve been eating Thin Mints (my favorite) for as long as I can remember. So why am I NOT buying any Girl Scout cookies this year? Well, I was just about to place an order with my friend’s daughter when I looked (as I often do when buying any packaged food) at the list of ingredients in the cookies. I didn’t suspect I’d find anything harmful. After all, it’s the Girl Scouts—an organization that has always stood for qualities like integrity, honor and social conscience. They even labeled their cookies as having “0 Trans Fat”—the new safe food marketing lingo.
Even if you don’t know what trans fats are by this time, you know they’re bad for you…very bad. You might even know that anything with the words “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” listed in the ingredients indicates that the food contains trans fat. That means hydrogen atoms have been added to fats giving them a longer shelf life. It has been well documented that trans fats increase the risk of coronary heart disease by raising levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of “good” HDL cholesterol. Unfortunately manufacturers are allowed to label a food “0 Trans Fat” if it contains less than .5 gram on the nutritional facts label. Doesn’t that sound deceiving to you? Doesn’t that sound so un-Girl Scout like? Couldn’t an organization such as the Girl Scouts, who pride themselves on teaching the value of honesty, find a healthier cookie manufacturer rather than labeling their cookies “0 Trans Fat” and then using hydrogenated oil as an ingredient?
Trans fats are contained in many packaged foods. That doesn’t mean you have to buy those foods. As an informed consumer, you have a right to know what you’re putting in your body and how it will affect it. That knowledge could save your life someday.
Sorry Girl Scouts. I’ll have to go without the Thin Mints this year! Boo Hoo!
1/7/08
Forget Resolutions
I bet more diet, exercise and quit smoking programs are sold in January and February than the entire rest of the year—all because of New Year’s resolutions. Those initially well intended resolutions end up trapped in a vicious cycle of unstoppable commitment followed by mild distraction followed by waning interest followed by complete apathy, which is then followed by the biggest guilt trip you’ll ever take. Why must we put ourselves through such pain? It all goes all the back to 153 B.C. with Janus, a mythical Roman king who possessed two faces—one to see the past and one to see the future. The Romans looked back mainly for forgiveness from their enemies—those whom they probably savagely ripped apart limb by limb. Today, we still buy into this forgiveness concept by using resolutions to fix what’s broken about us because what’s broken is also bad. We must change our ways in the New Year, particularly after that hedonistic holiday season we just had!
Resolutions don’t work because they’re based on guilt and lack. They focus your mind on something you’re doing wrong and something you want but don’t have. As such, you’re a wretched soul set up for failure every time.
Forget resolutions. Forget what time of year it is. Forget what you don’t have or are not. Erase them from your memory.
Instead, imagine what it would feel like to be exactly the way you want and have exactly what you want. Hold that image for at least a couple of minutes a day and feel the joy of your new self. Write a positive affirmation about this state. For example: “I feel so vibrant and healthy at my new weight of 125 pounds.” Then practice, practice, practice imagining this visual and reciting this affirmation every day. Believe it. Believe it with all your heart. You’ll naturally start doing things that will make it happen.
Affirmations and visualizations are much more productive than resolutions because they have no time expectations or limits, and they give you what you want immediately, even if it’s just in your mind. And, if it’s in your mind, it will eventually become your reality if you believe it to be. Write it down. Feel it. Be it.
