Food For Thought

>>>>Cittaslow is the Italian for slow town, and far from being the insult it might sound is a celebration of a better way of life including farmers’ markets, clean rivers, open spaces, local produce and community involvement, to name but a few. It grew out of the Slow Food movement, an international association that promotes food and wine culture and diversity of food and agriculture. Slow Food was set up in 1986 by Italian journalist Carlo Petrini, who was horrified when McDonald’s opened a branch by the Spanish Steps in Rome<<<<<<

Diss Mercury - Pursuit of the slow life

Nothing linear, technical or definitive here. *chuckle* Off coffee for ten days now and I’m now moving BIG TIME toward the “slow movement,” appropriately so. I can’t seem to move fast. Today the massage therapist said, “Would you like an extra 30 minutes?” Who, in their right mind, could say no to that? Great move on her part. Although that would make me late to my lunch appointment, so what? I relished it.

All I want to say about the Slow Food movement is that it is, without question, a fabulous happening. On top of which there are all of these other fall-out movments. It couldn’t have come at a better time because I can’t seem to move fast. My mind is still wired upon occasion from that dreadful psychoactive stimulant, but so far so good. Feeling better is good. I’ll take progress since perfection doesn’t exist; except, perhaps, in nature.

I got half way through Carl Honore’s book. In Praise of Slowness, when the sloooowness creeped in and I started relishing his stories, not wanting them to end. He called himself “the Scrooge with a stopwatch, obsessed with saving every last scrap of time, a minute here, a few seconds there.” He had a ureka! moment when, after pondering how fast Amazon could mail him whole book series of “The One Minute Bedtime Stories,” he asked himself, “Have I gone completely insane?” He was having a tug-of-war with his 2 year old that wailed “too fast” when he read the shortest tale he could find but this wasn’t the solution. He proceeded to write the book.

I’m writing to find out how you slow down so I can incorporate it into my existence here in bustling Silly Valley [Silicon Valley]. I stall and relapse into old thinking: I need to work, clean, throw away, write, call, email now.

The pattern is not much different when I get an email from my old groups….raw, vegan, low fat food groups. I waiver. I’m slowly unsubscribing to these e-lists. I [most often] have unequivocable faith that the pendulum of thirty years in those movements will swing towards the “nourished” side. And, the self- trust will return and I’ll know intuitively what is healthy, right and good. The memory will return and the weight will drop and the mood will keep lifting. I know this to be true after only six months. Amazing.

Here’s the deal. Do please share your stories of how you KNOW what is true and those experiences that prove it. Because, it’s the stories I remember, especially when I need them the most. And, I know its a matter of balancing and that some days are better than others but its all good, eh?!

Thanks for listening…I feel like I’m in a little Italian cafe sipping my herb tea and chatting with the best of friends!

Ciao!

About the Author...

It has taken me years to unlearn much of what I learned about psychology and health. Suffice it to say, I believe in home schooling, the work of Price, Fallon, Enig and Cowan and one's right to be happy in one's life. My husband and I live in Sunnyvale, CA with seven fabulous cats. They teach us to take a nap when the urge strikes, to eat heartily when hungry and to stretch into the new day. La Vida es Bueno!