a soapbox minute

So I started developing this post on Saturday morning but I try not to blog on the weekends. By the way, it’s nothing critical just boundaries that I've set for myself. Living in such a “healthy” state has been a transition from my Midwest roots. Long before it was “cool” to buy organic and gluten free Colorado was a forerunner in this seemingly hippie movement and my town is above and beyond. What was great about living in an environment in which it’s become mainstream culture is that these items are so accessible. It’s almost more of a challenge finding something that isn't hormone free. The information is fluent and even the restaurants adhere to it…another fun fact is we don’t have fast food in Breckenridge, other than Subway, and you could start a discussion on whether it should be considered as such.

All this is positive, the availability, the knowledge, the cause…I’m truly grateful but with my somewhat extremist nature it can be problematic. I get so overwhelmed and develop a complex in regards to my junk food tendencies. We eat very health in my opinion, mostly organic, non- processed and I prepare dinner every night of the week. But there are times I treat myself to a less than healthy snack. Like when I sneak a candy bar at work and get “caught” I feel the need chime in by insisting it’s been a tough week. *Oh and by get caught someone innocently asks “what are you eating?” …Busted.

I’ve never been like that before, embarrassed; it’s probably a mix of my unwanted weight gain and being surrounded by people that make better choices. This chain of thoughts came while I was shopping and I found myself “hiding” processed food. I kid you not. A grown woman putting Golden Grahams discreetly and purposefully on the very bottom of the cart, behind the organic, sprouted, almond milk of course, hoping no one would take notice. Small towns are infamous for run ins and so many times I peer into another’s cart but hope they don’t do the same.

My immediate reaction was to blame society. It seemed accurate and it felt kind of good to have a scapegoat. But do you know what a society is? According to Merriam-Webster, its description is filled with words and scenarios like group, community, nation, social circle.  Pretty much the resounding word is people. We ARE people, so in turn we ARE the problem. That means we decide the parameters of what is and is not acceptable. There are so many topics this could encompass and unfortunately these topics are deemed controversial because as a society we've labeled them as such. Why can’t we talk about and promote our differences instead of shaming ourselves? We've gotten pretty good at accepting other’s lifestyles why is it a struggle to accept our own?

Be passionate. Be respectful. Be yourself.