Food Heals

As you may know from previous posts I have a few political bones in my body.  As I have gotten older my politics have evolved to a more, "be the change I want to see" brand rather than the "rant against the morons" brand.  Don't worry I still consistently swear out loud when I hear of another advance in the polls for the ever infuriating billionaire with a bad dye job.  But more often than not I give my $$$ to Bernie Sanders, buy local organic vegetables, sign petitions to stop the terrible trade agreement with China that Obama is selling, and give my thumbs up to the restaurant workers picketing their place of employment in downtown Chicago.  I know it isn't much but it is what I have the energy for.  I am at a place where being kind and living a life of joy and inspiration is more important and radical than being angry at the despicable state of our world.  I will always be a feminist, because I am a woman.  I will always be a socialist because I believe in the equitable distribution of wealth to ALL citizens.  I will always advocate for the earth because I grew up in the forests of Vermont.

Many lifetimes ago a dear friend of mine, Jojo, wrote me a letter while she was on vacation in New Mexico.  At the time we were working long thankless hours at a brew pub, pouring beer and pushing burritos.  We wrote poems to each other during our shifts when the cliental was less than gracious.  We dreamt of escaping the monotony and disrespect, doing things for ourselves, being appreciated for our brains not our asses and swagger.   It was letter sharing the immense inspiration and relaxation she was experiencing in the desert, under the moon.  In it she mentioned that I should open a potion shop.  She went into detail about the beauty of this shop.  I have forgotten them, but the sentiment has never left me.  

Over the past two years I have been brainstorming and dreaming of venturing into business on  my own.  Move to my home, turn the soil and plant some seeds.  Throw a pop-up and stun folks with homegrown cocktails.   Mix herbs and salts and give away relaxation in a jar.  All of these ideas and many more have been brewing and steeping to no avail...yet.

Recently I enrolled in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.  In one years time I will be a certified Health Coach.  I am thrilled to be learning and researching, to be using the brain I have cultivated for years.  Last weeks curriculum was focused on the health crisis we are facing as a nation.  As I watched various lectures and scribbled notes, I kept coming back to something we all know.  Food is simple.  Food heals.  If food heals then it has power.  Therefore we know that the simplicity of food threatens the money making prospects of capitalism, because we can grow food in our driveways, on our balconies, in abandoned lots, and on our school playgrounds.  To grow food is to become more healthy, more self sufficient, and more empowered.  One thing that will put the proverbial wrench in our political machine is an empowered, self sufficient populace.
And so begins my journey to health coaching.  I am building my own business, I am brewing potions to heal, I am cooking my own food, and scheming ways to fill abandoned lots and schoolyards with gardens.  
Before I delve into my year long course, I would like to give thanks to all the radical women who have taught me about food, potion, plants, and gardening.  My friends and family who have eaten at my table, laughed in our gardens and schemed over tea.  I would not be embarking on this journey without your devotion to what is real and true for us...food heals.