After an extended hiatus, I’m back.
The last 2+ years have been a challenging time for me and my life has changed in ways I could never anticipate. In January of 2016, I sold my home and began the process of moving into my parents house to help my mother take care of my father. After a multiple year battle with heart disease his quality of life was deteriorating quickly. In late May, he made his transition and we began the process of mourning our loss and celebrating his life.
Losing a parent, even after 50, is devastating and life altering. The opportunity of that experience is to use that time to reflect and reassess our own lives and what is important to us. There is definitely a sense that the rug has been pulled out from under our feet and we must find new place to stand.
I spent large portion of 2017 abroad, most of it in NZ helping a childhood friend start a new chapter of her life on the other side of the world. I must admit that I wondered if that might also be my next step. But at the end of the year I returned home.
This year has been all about finding a new path forward. It has taken longer than I imagined, but I wouldn’t change a thing. This new path is much more about embracing each moment and attending to what is present.
So what does that mean for Raw at 50?
First of all, it means that I am no longer eating 100% raw food. In fact, in 2016 I had an Ayurvedic assessment which confirmed that with my constitution eating primarily raw foods is enervating and creates imbalance in my body.
Now, I am primarily focused on plant-based eating with some fish in my diet. For me making healthy choices is not a static thing. Seasons change, my body changes, my lifestyle changes and by default my diet should change to support those differences. There is no “one size fits all” in health and wellness.
I have also been exploring Personal Sustainability, which to me means discovering ways in which I can simplify my life, reconnect to fulfilling my basic my needs (food, water, clothing) and become a much more conscious consumer.
I will be sharing much more about this new direction in my blog posts. Stay tuned!
Thank you to all of you who have continued to follow Raw at 50, your support kept me going when I wasn’t sure which way was up.
Pam
