Is Organic Produce Really Better?

Food is important. That may seem like a simple statement, but how often do you really consider what you are eating? Food gives us life. Without food, our bodies would wither away. But is all food created equal? Is organic produce important? Is there really a difference? The government has been telling us for years that our food is safe. That is the point to having the USDA.. to safeguard our food supply. Right?

A friend pointed out this video that brings the whole thought of what food you should be eating into sharp focus. Is fresh produce really as good as they say it is? Should we be investing in organic produce at the grocery store?  How much will any of it really affect our health?

What this little girl discovered doing a simple experiment might surprise you. At some point we have probably all taken pieces of produce from the grocery store, the fridge, or maybe leftovers from the kitchen, and watched it grow in fascination as the roots and leaves burst forth from the plant! I do have to wonder if the produce that does not do that is really safe to eat. In my mind it would at the very least be dead, and not very nourishing. Knowing that the farmers are spraying chemicals on the produce to prevent it from growing makes me wonder what it is doing inside my body when I eat it. With all the failing health at ever earlier ages going on in the country, it may be time that we start thinking about our food for ourselves again. It may be time to realize that not all organic produce is created equal. This may be yet another reason to turn to the local farmer and ask for organic produce. 

Signs of Emotional Abuse

I know I have spent a lot of time talking about healing from abuse lately. What I haven't talked about is how to recognize signs of being in an abusive relationship. After all, it was years before we could admit that we were even in an abusive relationship. Such is the nature of emotional abuse. There is simply nothing you can really point a finger at and say, "That was abusive." or, "That was out of bounds." Taken one event at a time, they are just that, an event.

I ran across a wonderful article detailing four signs of being in an abusive relationship, and I thought I would share a bit of that with you. I went through these things for years, never realizing that it was actually abuse.

(Please note that an abuser can be any gender, any age, and of any relationship to you. I use the common pronoun of 'he' as a matter of simplicity in writing.)

The four signs to watch for are:

1. You walk on eggshells around him. If you have to be careful when he "gets in that mood", something is NOT right.

2. You make excuses for him. Seriously? "HE" had a bad day, has anger issues, had a rough childhood, is NOT a reason for him to be a jerk. They ARE reasons for him to seek help.

3. He makes comments that belittle you. No one has the right to tell you that you are anything other than the wonderful and special person that you are.

4. He is extremely jealous. It may be cute at first that he doesn't like you talking to other guys, but trust me, it isn't later on. Those are his insecurities, not your misbehavior. Don't let him tell you who you can talk to or smile at. Ever.

What do you do if any of this sounds familiar? First, realize you are not alone. Second, get help. And walk away from your abuser as fast as you can, and don't look back. You can't help them. And they are only hurting you.

To read the rest of the article I found, click here.

Clutter, Pain, and the Past

There is a huge difference between saying that you are ready to give away all that STUFF, and actually doing it. One thing about moving is that, as you pack stuff, you have an opportunity to think about whether or not you really want the things you are packing. And so we did as we packed to move here a month ago. We got rid of tons of stuff, and for those that have followed along my journey for a while, you know that we have long been on journey of healing that has allowed us to get rid of the physical clutter that has protected us for so long.

Since being here, I feel like the healing that I/we have done has intensified and multiplied. At times, I almost think it is out of control. Or perhaps that is simply me, becoming who I have always been and getting used to this new skin that is such an odd shape and size to me at the moment. I am sure I will get used to it, after all, it is me. But for now it is completely strange to me, and yet familiar at the same time.

For this reason, the boxes that we moved are still sitting in the living room. They have been a towering wall that creates a unique path from one side of the room to the front bedroom, leaving the family area perfectly secluded. It has been a fantastic reminder of how much we really do want to let go of the pain of the past, and a total aggravation that we are finding quite hard to ignore!

We have had thoughts of simply placing the boxes into the car unopened and driving them to the donation center. We really couldn't think of what could possibly be so important in those boxes. If we weren't looking for anything as we went about our daily life, what could possibly be in there that we really wanted. That is so much easier to say than do!

Perhaps I would have done exactly that, given them away without looking, if it weren't for the fact that I knew there would be things that my mother would want if I wasn't keeping them. The past is something she clings to in her own way. For her it is history; it is reminders. For me, so much of it is only a reminder of pain. So for her, I will open each box and look through it. 

Maybe it is the better thing to do. Maybe facing the past that has become a different lifetime is something that I need to do to truly let go. Maybe facing the pain is what is needed to let it go, or maybe it is how one becomes stronger. I don't know. What I do know is one step at a time, I will get through this unsurmountable task, like I have done with so many before.