since i have a cruise liner ship load of work to do, this is short and sweet.
i received two compliments this week that totally served as a little "pick-me-up" right when I needed it.
"you are super awesome"
"...i was thinking to myself that she'd make a really good professor"
it's the little things- simple words.
thanks!
now back to work....argh!
About Me
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
the perpetuation of population disparities.... my role?
So this whole thought process came about after reading about America's healthiest grocery stores. Of course, the usual suspects are on the list- Whole Foods and another personal fav Trader Joe's, not too far after the #1 spot (WF).
After reading the list I immediately felt self-satisfaction, knowing that I am the proud customer of two of the healthiest grocery stores in America, or so they say. Then it hit me, there aren't too many folks browsing around in these grocery stores who look like me. Matter of fact, chances are you would never ride down St. Louis Avenue or N. Grand to find a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. I'm quite certain neither store's business plan includes the opening of a store in the middle of our forgotten corners of North St. Louis City.
Reality is that the grocery stores in such corners of US cities fail to offer food products that would allow one to adapt a healthy diet. If there is even a viable grocery store in these areas to begin with.
Various reports and studies have shown that in many inner city grocery stores little to no fresh produce is offered, items on the shelf are usually kept there past the expiration date, not to mention the severe higher price placed on food items.
Meanwhile, I travel 15 to 20 minutes just to gather up my pricey organic produce, non-rBGH fat free milk, and 365 spring water to place in my overpriced aluminum eco-friendly water bottle. Oh, and we can't forget the fair trade almond body wash.... am I really serious? Yeah, I am.
Isn't the mere fact that I travel outside of my neighborhood (which happens to be in walking distance to other grocery stores) to purchase these items perpetuating health related population disparities?
Why not save some funds, purchase "regular" food and advocate for those people who don't even have a grocery store to shop in?
Honestly, I felt kind of bad walking out of WF the other day- I fell victim to green capitalism!
So the work begins, Whole Foods is all about the community anyway right? I say we start a letter writing campaign- Whole Foods available and accessible to all!
Just a thought. Your thoughts & comments well appreciated!
Peace
After reading the list I immediately felt self-satisfaction, knowing that I am the proud customer of two of the healthiest grocery stores in America, or so they say. Then it hit me, there aren't too many folks browsing around in these grocery stores who look like me. Matter of fact, chances are you would never ride down St. Louis Avenue or N. Grand to find a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. I'm quite certain neither store's business plan includes the opening of a store in the middle of our forgotten corners of North St. Louis City.
Reality is that the grocery stores in such corners of US cities fail to offer food products that would allow one to adapt a healthy diet. If there is even a viable grocery store in these areas to begin with.
Various reports and studies have shown that in many inner city grocery stores little to no fresh produce is offered, items on the shelf are usually kept there past the expiration date, not to mention the severe higher price placed on food items.
Meanwhile, I travel 15 to 20 minutes just to gather up my pricey organic produce, non-rBGH fat free milk, and 365 spring water to place in my overpriced aluminum eco-friendly water bottle. Oh, and we can't forget the fair trade almond body wash.... am I really serious? Yeah, I am.
Isn't the mere fact that I travel outside of my neighborhood (which happens to be in walking distance to other grocery stores) to purchase these items perpetuating health related population disparities?
Why not save some funds, purchase "regular" food and advocate for those people who don't even have a grocery store to shop in?
Honestly, I felt kind of bad walking out of WF the other day- I fell victim to green capitalism!
So the work begins, Whole Foods is all about the community anyway right? I say we start a letter writing campaign- Whole Foods available and accessible to all!
Just a thought. Your thoughts & comments well appreciated!
Peace
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
speechless
a more insightful post coming soon
still basking in glory and realizing what a humbling experience this has been...
yes we can! & yes we did!
love
still basking in glory and realizing what a humbling experience this has been...
yes we can! & yes we did!
love
Monday, November 3, 2008
election eve... remembering where we came from
So it's a little past nine, I'm just getting in from another great night at campaign headquarters and I can't help but to reflect on how much I wish I could share this moment with family members who have passed on.
We learned today of the passing Senator Obama's grandmother, one of his biggest life supports and someone he deeply loved. My heart goes out to his family. As someone who was reared by those other than my biological parents for a significant part of my childhood, I understand the special bond that exists between a child and her non biological parent. Individuals who take up the responsibility of raising someone elses child, teaching some other persons child about life, taking the good and the bad. We love them not so much because of what they do but how they do it (i'll save this for another post, this topic is interesting).
Back to my point, I purposely chose not to send in an absentee ballot because I want to experience tomorrow first hand. I am going to stand in line no matter how long it is, no matter how bad my feet may start to ache, no matter how hungry I get. I am going to stand in line for all those who came before me, those who had to stand in a separate line, those who weren't allowed to stand in line, those who went without so I could be where I am today, those who paved the way.
How selfish it will be of us not to vote.
To those of you who argue that our forefathers fought and lost their lives so that we may merely have the choice to vote, really? Are we still that far behind in our thinking?
By choosing not to vote, have we helped anything? (yet again, I'm going to stray from this area- I feel my hypertension setting in)
I will cast my vote knowing that I am the product of dreams from generations far away, the child living out the dreams of a great- great grandfather who could only imagine what voting would be like, let alone casting a ballot for someone who looked like him.
By casting my vote tomorrow, I will grab that baton passed onto me by my great grandmother who spent her mornings cleaning houses to give her children a better life. By a grandmother who wasn't afraid to follow her dreams, by my aunt who could tell you everything you ever wanted to know about history but never had the opportunity of a college education, by my mother who spent endless hours at work but somehow manged to make it to every basketball game or art show- teaching me that women can have it all.
I will cast my vote tomorrow because I remember where I came from and those who cleared the path for me. I will cast my vote for my elephant loving nephew and the generations coming after him. But mostly, if not greatest I will cast my vote for the best applicant and do an extra little dance because he happens to be brown, just like me.
Let's vote!
We learned today of the passing Senator Obama's grandmother, one of his biggest life supports and someone he deeply loved. My heart goes out to his family. As someone who was reared by those other than my biological parents for a significant part of my childhood, I understand the special bond that exists between a child and her non biological parent. Individuals who take up the responsibility of raising someone elses child, teaching some other persons child about life, taking the good and the bad. We love them not so much because of what they do but how they do it (i'll save this for another post, this topic is interesting).
Back to my point, I purposely chose not to send in an absentee ballot because I want to experience tomorrow first hand. I am going to stand in line no matter how long it is, no matter how bad my feet may start to ache, no matter how hungry I get. I am going to stand in line for all those who came before me, those who had to stand in a separate line, those who weren't allowed to stand in line, those who went without so I could be where I am today, those who paved the way.
How selfish it will be of us not to vote.
To those of you who argue that our forefathers fought and lost their lives so that we may merely have the choice to vote, really? Are we still that far behind in our thinking?
By choosing not to vote, have we helped anything? (yet again, I'm going to stray from this area- I feel my hypertension setting in)
I will cast my vote knowing that I am the product of dreams from generations far away, the child living out the dreams of a great- great grandfather who could only imagine what voting would be like, let alone casting a ballot for someone who looked like him.
By casting my vote tomorrow, I will grab that baton passed onto me by my great grandmother who spent her mornings cleaning houses to give her children a better life. By a grandmother who wasn't afraid to follow her dreams, by my aunt who could tell you everything you ever wanted to know about history but never had the opportunity of a college education, by my mother who spent endless hours at work but somehow manged to make it to every basketball game or art show- teaching me that women can have it all.
I will cast my vote tomorrow because I remember where I came from and those who cleared the path for me. I will cast my vote for my elephant loving nephew and the generations coming after him. But mostly, if not greatest I will cast my vote for the best applicant and do an extra little dance because he happens to be brown, just like me.
Let's vote!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
There's something spiritual about silence
Being the introvert I am, you think I would have written about this a long time ago!
Nonetheless, it was a typical Sunday afternoon- volunteered a few hrs w/ the campaign then hopped on the bike in search of good eats and a place I could get some serious work done. Ended up in Panera I mean St. Louis Bread Co. (don't want the natives to catch a tude'), the place was packed! I waited at least 30mins just to get my Cesar salad. Since packed house usually means no free outlets to plug in my laptop, I opted for eating outside and diving into my latest read. Surprisingly I was the only one taking advantage of the 70 degree November weather, it was pure heaven.
Occasionally, I looked inside only to discover what seemed to be pure madness. Packed tables, children escaping their strollers and running around, 1st year med schoolers huddled around tables complaining about some unyielding professor and so on.
Meanwhile, I'm in total nirvana! Just me, my thoughts, and the remains of my french baguette. Despite living alone, I can't remember the last time I've had a conversation like this with myself. By this time, Mr. Camus is a little too deep for me to focus on; my thoughts are beginning to take over. I put the book down, finished up my baguette, closed my eyes and felt the crisp fall breeze sweep across my face and arms. In that moment I felt a calmness, something I haven't felt for a long while.
Except for the occasional person walking by or a car badly needing a tune up, I was totally undistracted. Ideas and questions just seemed to pour out my mind- had to grab my pen and paper!
Deciding to move to a bit more quieter spot, I hopped on the bike and headed to Forest Park. I stayed in the park for at least an hour, working through those thoughts I had earlier. I finally put the pen down and stretched out on the grass, and gazed up at the sky. A bit cliché, but I felt at one with nature. Like my mind and spirit were leaves meandering about in the breeze. There was really something spiritual, something different about that moment. No outside influences, no worrying about what someone thinks about you, no engaging in meaningless conversation- this moment was real. Yes, real! My spirit was experiencing realness. Real thoughts, real emotions, real being, real silence.
Silence, where have you been all my 22 years? Or is it, I can finally appreciate these moments more? Probably the latter.
"he who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words." - E. Hubbard
2 days!
Peace.
Nonetheless, it was a typical Sunday afternoon- volunteered a few hrs w/ the campaign then hopped on the bike in search of good eats and a place I could get some serious work done. Ended up in Panera I mean St. Louis Bread Co. (don't want the natives to catch a tude'), the place was packed! I waited at least 30mins just to get my Cesar salad. Since packed house usually means no free outlets to plug in my laptop, I opted for eating outside and diving into my latest read. Surprisingly I was the only one taking advantage of the 70 degree November weather, it was pure heaven.
Occasionally, I looked inside only to discover what seemed to be pure madness. Packed tables, children escaping their strollers and running around, 1st year med schoolers huddled around tables complaining about some unyielding professor and so on.
Meanwhile, I'm in total nirvana! Just me, my thoughts, and the remains of my french baguette. Despite living alone, I can't remember the last time I've had a conversation like this with myself. By this time, Mr. Camus is a little too deep for me to focus on; my thoughts are beginning to take over. I put the book down, finished up my baguette, closed my eyes and felt the crisp fall breeze sweep across my face and arms. In that moment I felt a calmness, something I haven't felt for a long while.
Except for the occasional person walking by or a car badly needing a tune up, I was totally undistracted. Ideas and questions just seemed to pour out my mind- had to grab my pen and paper!
Deciding to move to a bit more quieter spot, I hopped on the bike and headed to Forest Park. I stayed in the park for at least an hour, working through those thoughts I had earlier. I finally put the pen down and stretched out on the grass, and gazed up at the sky. A bit cliché, but I felt at one with nature. Like my mind and spirit were leaves meandering about in the breeze. There was really something spiritual, something different about that moment. No outside influences, no worrying about what someone thinks about you, no engaging in meaningless conversation- this moment was real. Yes, real! My spirit was experiencing realness. Real thoughts, real emotions, real being, real silence.
Silence, where have you been all my 22 years? Or is it, I can finally appreciate these moments more? Probably the latter.
"he who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words." - E. Hubbard
2 days!
Peace.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
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