Happ New Year!

Happy 2013! This is the first year since 1987 that there has been four different numbers in the year...something to think about (but only for a second...)

Today I am ringing in the New Year at the LaPorte ER, with a lovely doctor, that I am learning to admire(wow, yesterday I was bitching about her..). The day is nice and calm, few patients waiting, and relatively compliant sick people. I am enjoying the day, because I hold the power to my happiness. Even though I would love to be at home with my child-- the beautifully bright boy he is-- I am showing up to work, I am getting some great pay, and learning new things throughout.

Last night I had the privilege to go to a meeting, and spend a few moments with friends, though I did not go out and celebrate the dropping of the ball with the rest of the  central standard timers. The night was filled with a wakeful child cuddling in my bed, among drunken phone calls, texts, and messages from various social media sites. I did not hate the late night communication feed, but it was alarming the first time because my ringer was on LOUD. Then I learned. I did not want to be woken up by the annoying sound, so I shut off my volume and went back to bed. I awoke to chaos on the other line, but somewhere in my heart, the barriers of recovery wouldn't allow it to come barging in. What a great feeling.

One of the people who kept contacting me clearly shouldn't have been out last night, but he was. Unfortunately for him, it came with some consequences. Normally, I would have answered the calls during the middle of the night, responded furiously to the nonsense text messages, and spent every possible ounce of energy on figuring out what was going on, and how I could fix it. Well, because I have truly been working on taking care of me, and me alone (besides my son...), I kept my nose out of it. I kept to myself. I asked no questions, made no judgements, and acted responsibly, rather than becoming manically crazy.

This morning, after the fourth phone call, I decided to answer it. I was informed of some poor news for this particular person, and ironically, I was insanely calm and mostly relieved. I did not act like the old me--panicking over the who's, what's and how's of this persons life. I didn't fret. I did even feel scared. I pictured this person in God's hands, warm and safe, protected and taken care of--no matter what. It was relieving, to say the least. I did not let the situation/event take away my sanity and my happiness. My morning was going very well, and it stayed that way.

One of the most amazing accomplishments I've done this year has definitely been working on my own reactions to others problems, and being able not to internalize them. Sometimes, this is a conscious effort, but in some ways, I am really just adapting, and it's happening naturally. THANK GOD. Maybe it is just the fact that I didn't care anymore, because this issue has been chronic, and my efforts to care about it have been exhausted, but regardless, it's a blessing that I have been able to do this today.

I am certain that this year, 2013, will be a year to remember. Though there are many things about 2012 that were enjoyable (my last semester of college, my graduation, my first steps in spiritual recovery, my son's first b-day, my acceleration in physics and medical school preparation, and finally my new job at the ER), but there have been many things that I wish would have never happened. The only aspect of those bad moments that I can enjoy were the learning experience I have gotten from them. I dove  head first into spiritual recovery, and because of that, I can now look at the harsh portions of 2012 as blessings.

Thank you all for reading my blog this past year. It has really been an awesome experience to see that there are readers who enjoy what I have to say. A commitment for next year will be to post something, anything, even if it is just a sentence or a picture, every day. I want to have something to return to when New Years Day 2014 comes around.

God Bless you all for a HEALTHY and PEACEFUL 2013. 

<3 Amelia

Lifestyle vs. Diet

For many years, I have been prone to picking a new "diet" and trying to make it work, then after several days, or weeks, (if I am strong willed), I go back to binge eating the junk food that my brain craves, (processed carbohydrates like bread and crackers, sweets, and comfort foods high in saturated fats).

Well, trying and committing are two different things. I have been reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat To Live book, and it is truly amazing to see how I fit in with those people he describes: crash dieting, yo-yo-ing with my weight (+10, -10), and finding it hard to commit to a diet. Well, as he, and several other nutritionists describe, it isn't a diet, it is a lifestyle.

For the past 5 years, I've known that I have a mild intolerance to dairy products. For the past 10 months, I have realized that I have an intolerance to gluten products. And, for the past several months, I have realized how important it is to limit and be wary of any and all animal products. With all of this milling around in my brain, finding a diet (meaning purely the food I eat, not necessarily a "diet") that fits me perfectly isn't something that is written in a book. So, that is what I want to start doing. I want to write about my life, my food choices, and my health. This is the topic of this blog, and I am happy to say I've come up with an acceptable blog title, FINALLY!!

So, if you, too, are out there searching for another diet that is going to help you lose the weight that you want to get rid of, or if you are fighting a serious illness, and want to gain health through nutritional and preventative measures, this is the right spot for you.

To begin telling you about my food lifestyle, I will describe the foods I avoid (or try to):

• non-organic meat
• non-cagefree eggs
• dairy (except goat cheese and greek yogurt)
• soy
• processed anything
• artificial anything
• gluten (wheat products)

The staples of my diet that I DO eat are:

•  fresh, organic (when possible due to availability and cost) fruit and vegetables
•  dried fruit and nuts
•  legumes (beans)
• whole gluten-free grains

The only reason that I am pointing out organic foods is because of the meaning of the word organic.
  Organic- To be grown, produced or farmed with no artifical pesticides, herbacides or fertilizers.

( To be labeled organic, the ingredients must ALL be organic. There is an $11,000 fine if the information given is false!)


The reason those artificial or commercial -cides are not good, is because they always have trace amounts that remain on the crop, even after washing, milling, or cooking. There is no escaping them, and not only do they build up in your system, they can cause cancers, diseases, and DNA mutations. 

Also, the nutrient content of the soil that non-organic produce is grown in is seriously depleted because of the leeching caused by those commercial and artificial -cides. It's scary to think that even though you are eating healthily, the fresh produce you are consuming can also cause other bad problems for you! 

More about organics in another post, but this is where I am at right now. I am reading constantly to learn more about the health and safety of our food for not only my health, but also the health of my son! 

Remember, we must eat to live. Let's eat right. 

--Amelia--10/10/12