Total health comprises mental, physical, and spiritual integration
to be complete. Honesty is the
first step towards healing any
aspect of our bodies.
Our parents were very open with us. Although we were taught respect and when to stay out of grown folks’ business, at our own dinner table nothing was off limits. From an early age, we talked about everything in a very matter-of-fact, nonjudgmental way: from anonymous patients who were ill or dying in the hospital where my mom worked, to mental health and substance abuse issues of family members and friends, relationship issues between our parents and other family members, ridiculous stories about pilots and customer behavior at the airline where our dad worked, and whatever happened to be the issue that had Mike Wallace popping up in peoples’ faces on 60 Minutes (one of the few shows we were allowed to watch as kids).
There is a level of sensibility that we learned early on from our parents being this honest with us. There were few things that were not met head on, conversationally, as we grew up. It taught us at an early age that we really have nothing to hide from ourselves or others. As we grow older, we understand more fully what a wonderful gift not feeling ashamed to talk about any aspect of ourselves or our lives is. It paved the way for us, as adults, to be honest with ourselves. This type of honesty means very little accumulation of emotional or physical baggage, the type that can lead to a deterioration of health over extended periods of time.
Health is one of those aspects that require complete honesty. And yet, health is so complex in some ways that it is sometimes difficult to grasp how to get started on the road to improvement.
Food is probably the easiest place to begin to heal and better understand one’s health. Making decisions about food that involve what you are eating, when you are eating it, and how much you are eating can be the first step towards opening up to the type of change it takes to heal an entire body.
Making proper food choices that involve portion control, more vegetable and fruit consumption, and less sugar intake is a wonderfully productive way to engage the brain and become more energized. Being honest and fully conscious about how we use food and how we live our lives is of the utmost importance. Are you overeating or undereating as a coping mechanism? What underlying issues are you not talking about that lead to using food in an unhealthy way? Are you living with integrity?
There are reasons behind the choices we make in life. The more familiar and honest we become with those reasons, the more control we have over our own lives.
Holding people to higher standards is not an easy task and yet, you need to do that for your yourself, as well as your friends and family, as uncomfortable as it may be at times. We are all familiar with rebellion. It is the act of going counter to the best advice from our parents only to find out in the end that their knowledge would have saved time and energy spent cleaning up messes that did not need to be made. Remember that neither McDonald’s nor Wing Stop will be paying for your healthcare bills down the road.
Spend less time getting angry with yourself or others who hold you to a higher standard. Spend more time integrating those parts of yourself that have been hiding in shame, that need to be cared for and brought into the light, that need to be acknowledged and healed so they have diminished power over you.
The time is now to take full control of your life, your body, your health.
Based in Atlanta, GA, The Boxcar Grocer had the idea to create a store where everyone would feel comfortable led us to design an environment highly compatible with urban living. This meant balancing an aesthetic appeal with a local lifestyle focus, partnering with urban farms, and offering a space that fosters community. Their engagement with local farmers and the surrounding neighborhoods allows The Boxcar Grocer to be the connection that is sorely needed in many communities across America. It allows our communities to reclaim health by making it easier to make the right choices. Founded by the brother/sister team of Alphonzo and Alison Cross, The Boxcar Grocer is “this high-concept boutique, where you will find local, sustainably grown produce, organic dairy, grains, and even beauty products, as well as locally produced artisan items. But for Alison and Alphonzo, it represents much more: it is a brand that could spread far and wide, crossing any economic boundary.”
