pass me the olden days, please

howdy <):-)



i do a lot of reading--books, magazines, articles, websites--about health, nutrition, and just about anything and everything related.



i'm not really sure where my unquenchable interest in gaining knowledge in this area comes from; i think its mostly my personality. im one of those kindsa peeps who has to know the intricate details of how things work, and i ask a lot of "why...?" questions!! its just interesting to me to know the "behind the scenes" details that the average joe (or jo-sey? LOL) usually doesnt think about, or even care about. it makes me feel secure knowing exactly how things are--like when i go to the dr., i make sure i get my $20 copay worth of information! LOL!!!



anyhoo, tonite i was reading some stuff about water. it was just an article slamming one of the major soft drink companies and their version of "purified" water. ya know, the normal stuff. hehe ;)



of course they were saying how sometimes bottled water is really just tap water...and some of it is, btw...and how the plastic from the bottles leeches into it and the host of health issues that causes...and also how all the plastic is piling up in our landfills and polluting our ground water and wildlife!



AND how much all the shipping/trucks/delivering is contributing to air pollution and globabl warming, not to mention being a large source of depleting natural resources...and it goes on and on and ON...really ON...



so drinking water is just one thing to think about when we're trying to get healthier. at the same time, want to be responsible stewards of our finances (i mean, who can afford to pay a couple thousand for a whole-house water filter?), we want to be contributors to a better earth and future for our kids, grandkids, etc...



...and just to have plain old healthy water to drink we may feel inclined to consider all these complicated, political, ethical and financial things i mentioned in the previous paragraph??!! INCONCEIVABLE!!! (no but seriously, think about it! its absurd.)



sometimes i just get so mad at the world today. we have screwed things up so badly, and there are some things we can reverse and some things that can never be repaired. technology has brought so many blessings to our lifetime, so many awesome things for us to experience and be thankful for. but it has all happened so fast, and no one can ever predict the impact those conveniences might have on our world hundreds of years later--or even as little as decades!



its really easy to get overwhelmed and just say SCREW IT, or feel really hopeless like there's no possible way our generation can have a long, healthy lifespan. all the cancer, diabetes, obesity, disorders, addictions, heart disease, and heck even just everyday health issues we deal with like allergies and skin problems in my opinion have all developed from a multi-faceted source of pollution, preservatives, petrochemicals, antibiotics, and synthetic hormones that bombard our bodies everyday!!! ARRGGHHHH!!



*raises hand* pass me the olden days, please!



dealing with my endometriosis has led me to educate myself so much on things that i put in and on my body, or come into contact with in other ways. im sure that's why this year especially, my thirst for knowledge in health and nutrition--especially naturopathy and alternative health--has taken a good deal of my free time.



i have come to feel that the generally largely published research/studies on these subjects aren't much to be trusted, especially from maybe the past 75 years or so...(yes, 75 years!)...because so much of the motives behind publishing those studies is to drive CONSUMERS.



yes, consumers! not PEOPLE, with lives, children, feelings, health issues, looking for answers, wanting truth and integrity. so many institutions/companies/governments are just finding sneakier ways to empty our bank accounts and fill theirs up. to me, this is so easy to see!!!



just look at the rate of disease in this country!!! look at the sucky quality of health care, and how so many people hop from doctor to doctor, pill to pill, feeling miserable, helpless, and BROKE!! i mean, this isnt even scratching the surface!!!



whew okay, dont get me started :-O oh yeah, you didnt ask for my soap box. ;) LOL! well, im hardly a political type person, so i will be the first to admit that i'm not too good at defending my own opinion with tons of citations, resources and junk like that...



honestly, its just a gut feeling. i read and hear all sorts of opinions--like AND unlike my own--and take it all into account. what i believe is a bit here and a piece there that fits my gut feelings, and no, its not the easy way out; i think its smart to listen to all sides and then form an opinion that fits your life, your ethics and morals, and your needs.



i get tired of hearing all the "important people's" opinions (important according to the media!) and how they try to push it on everyone else. to me, going back to simpler times when life was more free of complication, disease, and greedy companies presents plenty of sound "research" for me to follow my gut. putting it into play into our modern-day lives is the challenge.



to me, the olden days sure seem like common sense. dont you think?



what happened to good, old-fashioned whole foods? what happened to kids knowing where their food really comes from--and its NOT from a plastic bottle or designer box or the best fast food joint's toy selection, but instead from the garden or a tree or a cow in the barn!!



what happened to YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT??? (sadly, that means most of us are MSG, high fructose corn syrup and trans fats!!)



personally, i think the modern food industry is getting really scary--we are depending on farms across the globe for some of our food, shipped in who knows what dirty truck, handled by who knows who, sprayed with who knows what, and mixed and preserved with ingredients we cant pronounce...contaminated with deadly who knows what...



if we would make more of an effort to buy locally we wouldnt have to worry about any of that! *DEEP BREATH*



dang, i wish somehow i could live like, lets say, Laura Ingalls Wilder did, only with the best of her world and the best of ours. is that even possible? i know, i probably am living in a bit of a dream world, but i see little pockets of it in the small community where i live in WI. this town and surrounding area is very eco-minded, with responsible local biodynamic and organic farmers. there's a lot of sustainable farming and living even, and tho a lot of folks (maybe even you!) see it as stone age living, i see it as such an opportunity!



its so sad more people dont see how it can benefit our health, our happiness, and then even farther-reaching--our communities, our water and earth, and future generations.



okay, so all this was a little heavy of a topic for me...maybe boring for you? LOL! let me know what you think!! im not always good at putting down exactly what i think, but hopefully you got the gist of it. hehe! i probably left a lot of things unsaid, but hey, my fingers can only type so fast ;)



anyhoo, this is all something i think about nearly every day--as part of living, learning, and searching for betterment of body, mind and spirit and i figured i'd share it with ya!!!



nitenite.



~josey~

i'm back!

wow, its been quite a while since i've written...but to me, it seems like only a week or so ago!! hehe!



well, all our guests have come and gone...in quite a blink of an eye 8^| we had an AWESOME time, first with my sister, hubby, daughter and son staying with us for 4 days...then the kids stayed for the following week.



then, while the kids were still here, one of my hubby's old buddies was passing thru town, and his wife and kids stayed with us for the weekend. during that time we had a cookout/get together for the "crew" of old friends since the one was back in town...so that was a blast having everyone over! :D



so, over the span of 2 weeks, we went from just me and hubby (and the pets of course LOL) to as many as 6 more people staying in the house...plus around 15 for the day when we had the cookout. we had so much fun and im so bored now that everyone's gone! HAHAH!!



okay well, so not to be a downer, but this week my motivation has been NIL. it sucks!! i havent eaten well, i havent even showered every day! i've been watching tons of tv, which i rarely do, and havent really been a very good domestic princess! LOL! ;)



i know most of it is because i went from being so busy and organized while everyone was here--which i loved--but then BAM! they were all gone, so now its back to the old routine and it is so slow-paced *hehe* i know i would be so much happier having a kid to take care of or SOMETHING...!!! hopefully one day that will be true :)



then, in just a few short weeks is my bday! i was reallllllly hoping to be under 200 (aka my 10% loss goal) for that. i still might, if i get my act together ASAP. i dont want this to be another bday where i say..."if i'd have only stuck with it i could have reached that goal!!" ah well. i guess i cant whine...because i HAVE lost about 20lb this year, and that is something to be proud of, right?? RIGHT! :D



well i did manage to get some things done around the house today...sheets washed...clean clothes and towels put away...beds remade...and ive got a few other things in progress...and i do feel better :)



i just feel like im starting to get too hard on myself, cause for some reason if i lose my motivational groove then i eat junk, start to get all hermity, and start feeling sorry for myself. you know, all that mean self-talk like "you are a fat slob! look at all those other pretty women!" and "you are such a bad wife...you have all day to keep this house clean and you havent done a thing!"



and the worst one for me..."you'll never be healthier, so why even bother??"



welp, im telling myself now that i am NOT a fat slob, that im a GREAT wife (im pretty sure hubby thinks so! ), and i AM healthier than i was a year ago...baby steps!!!



hmmm i guess this post is turning out to be a cheer-up letter to myself. LOL! well, im allowed to do that so dangit i am!! :) i suppose cheering ourselves up is something we're not really programmed to do, is it?



many times we expect others in our lives to be RIGHT there, anytime we need something (esp our significant other). well...sometimes they are...but if they arent (putting aside the reason!), we cant just curl up in our own ball of self-pity and play the martyr just to have an excuse to do nothing and whine!! this is typical of me!!



i rarely say it out loud, but its what goes through my head and sometimes its really damaging. not only does it push me deeper into my pity party, but then i treat others around me in a negative way.



that's not fair. no one's perfect, and when i need a pat on the back or some encouragement and there's no one there to dispense it, i need to give it to myself!!



im finding that's part of growing up i dont like it, tho. LOL. but i am doing it right now, because i know there is no reason to keep choosing to feel that way, when i have so many other things to be thankful for and happy about. so THERE, bad mood! BE GONE!! (LOL, i know, im a freak LOL)



okay, well its time for me to skedattle for now! we are going to hubby's company party for the summer later today, and im making chicken quesadillas. should be a great time!!



its almost the weekend...ENJOY!!!



~jos~