A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Open House

In the last few days I've had a conversation with an old friend who stubbornly opposes spending more money on organic or more wholesome food because she doesn't believe anything she hears about it being better for you, and we laughed and I think 'how can two people so different be such good friends' and then yesterday I stopped in at a local salon which was having an open house and found that virtually everyone there was aware of foods to some degree or another, and health AND they have an interest in learning more!  On my way to the open house, I stopped by Vitamin Cottage and saw a cart in the lot that I could snag for them and take to the store as long as I was going, and the woman who was struggling with it getting in her way thanked me and then said 'I recognize you'. 

Well, it turns out I'd spoken with her last Halloween in the decorations aisle at one of the big grocery stores here, and at the end of a really interesting conversation she said her name and I realized I've known her husband since back from when I moved here, through the music world.  When I told her that I was so happy about all the experts who have been agreeing to write and provide content on Lumigrate and, knowing she was keen on bioidentical hormones, I found out she is friends with the wife of the pharmaceutical writer.  She shared with me something that really was confirming, as I still was in a glow of having listened the night beforeto Deirdre Rawlings' tele-seminar the day before about mood and the mind/brain and foods, which was that she had found out about 10 years ago that she had a significant health incident come up which she just didn't feel right about the allopathic treatment for, and she found a consultant many states away who she called and was told 'you need to do this and you need to do it today'.  The woman said 'yikes, I was unhappy for the first month, and then I realized how GOOD food tastes and you don't need all the cheese and meat and everything'.  

We can trust that the approach that provider took with this woman was a good mix for her that day -- she's still alive all these years later, with that health concern having resolved!  But as a therapist I know that I had MANY different personality types with the patients I saw and a different approach worked better with some than others, and I think I was particularly good at knowing how to do that at one time.  It's a challenge to do that through the computer as it's harder to assess people's personalities from just what they write and a photograph if we even have that.  

So that is why I like all the different experts and 'wise ones' that are coming to Lumigrate to write now, and I encourage them to get their comfort zone found and to trust that they'll vibe for some people and not everyone which is fine because there are many different people now writing and lots of information and to just put up links of where to go to learn more if someone wants to take the time to follow a lead from what they've read.  And so in whole, we hope Lumigrate becomes like a campfire that is burning 24/7 and being a place for people to come as we did in generations past -- to be warm, to be together, to cook and eat and share food, to teach and to learn from discussions.  And we hope to affect MANY with Lumigrate, but there are other fires and communities elsewhere if Lumigrate overall is not for them.  Because we are 'being who we are' and will trust that those that will find us and need us will.  

As for those that are in the process with us, we are ALL learning and growing and sharpening our skills with changing our lifestyles as we learn more about body, mind, spirit as it relates to health and medicine, and it's a process. YOU are where you are BEING too.  I'm going to hope that people whose 'thing' is to write about such things find their way to Lumigrate, because there is a need for that now that so many people seem to be turned onto the idea about food for health, then it's a matter of the behaviors and habits and resistance to change.  Integrative Medicine is about body, mind and spirit and all those things come into play as a person makes changes in their life.  You cannot say 'I'll eat differently to help my body' without addressing the mind and spirit as well.  Therefore it's very complex, it takes a while, but it's got long-lasting and permanent solutions.  Worth the investment?  

This is Lumigrate's last day of our '0' year... We'll be 1 tomorrow!  Thanks for being here in the beginning and helping create what will turn brighter and stronger in the next year it appears.  Whether you're a reader, a writer, or have provided a video for Lumigrate in our VERY foundational times before the website was even put together, it's taken a village to create the Grate Group!  ~~ Mardy 

(Footnote: I was tempted by the wonderful things I normally don't eat, like cheese, and oatmeal cookies and felt FINE then and now, but my gut let me know that I got out of line with what my body is good with, so those are the things that are 'choices' and truly for me it really helps to check in every day about what my goals are for how I'm feeling, then work backwards to what I'm doing for body, mind, spirit, and that includes foods. Like everyone, I'm where I'm at with this too!)

A little reminder - The free videos (Indicated with $0.00) on the videos tab are all wonderful.  People taking the time to simply download and watch them is all that's required and you stand much to gain with little to risk but your time.  And ALL the $20 videos are fabulous, complete hour-long (more or less, some much MORE) videos that come with the PowerPoints.  No advertisements, just like going to the movie.  Oh, except they now have sponsors too.  And we will be able to do that as well, now that we're in our second year, but people DO tend to invest in what is important to them.  That's just psychology -- however, why pay for something when that information is out there free.  It's not, not like we present it, and so it's an option for you if you want to learn that way and otherwise the Forum area has much to teach and is no cost.    I'll give you the link to Videos for your ease ... health would be different if everyone knew the Chronic Illness: Full Barrel Syndrome way of looking at things, I believe, and it's always a good review for those who know the concept.  If you only have time for ONE thing today, you might consider starting there today at Lumigrate, as it's only 20 minutes or so long. www.lumigrate.com/catalog/seminars