Dear Friends, Fans and SoulMates,
There is no question that the pandemic has led many people to shift their perspectives–not only have I heard this in the many conversations I have had with friends and colleagues in the past year and half, it is something that is documented in the COVID-19 Exposé – The Consumer Mindset in the Age of COVID-19 – produced by Real Time Consumer Insights.
With this as a context, we decided to focus on Wellness through Evolution & Change.
Some of us have taken the time to think and consider our lives, careers, relationships. Others of us have been devastated by loss and are navigating mental and emotional challenges, in varying degrees, of this difficult period in our history. In many cases, major change has been triggered. Doubtless, we’ve frequently made ourselves more well during this time of worldwide ill health. We have often evolved.
Today’s #SoulFood
“Change is the process of Life itself,
and that process could be called by the name ‘evolution.’
Evolution moves in only one direction:
forward, and toward improvement.”
One of my favorite evolution stories is from Jen Belcastro, a woman who was living in NYC and faced down 2 catastrophes: a breast cancer diagnosis and the pandemic. In a nutshell, she described NYC as “sucking the life out of her,” and she wanted out. After a short detour to Arizona, she made the decision to go to Belize, where Jen had gotten married years before and spent many happy times. So, she moved herself and her small daughter to Honduras to begin a new life journey. Jen is documenting her own evolution through her newly established blog, TheRedBeanie.org. Her reflections are inspiring, comforting and gently provocative.
Other change experiences that caught my attention appeared in New York Magazine. It chronicles three people who transformed themselves during Covid. In all cases, these are stories of physical transformation, people who chose to become healthier, and took those first few steps, soon realizing they felt better for it.
From our West Coast, Los Angeles Magazine brought us other stories of transformation: new things we learned during Covid. The writer of the article taught herself how to wax her own eyebrows! Author, Ann Shen, learned how to make French pastries and began to raise chickens, both of them helping her to work with her hands and focus her attention on the task at hand, as well as critical info she researched online. We all knew French pastries were high maintenance, but chickens? Yes, they are!
Personally, relationships with my family as well as my family of friends deepened during the pandemic. Nowhere was it more apparent than with my siblings. While I regularly texted and occasionally spoke to them (mostly individually) it never occurred to me that the three of us could get together – me (in the US), my brother (in Dubai) and my sister (in Jamaica). It was a treat the first time and now we look forward to our – sometimes weekly, more often monthly – Zoom threesome. We get to enter each other’s worlds in a whole new way and I feel even closer to them than ever!
How are you evolving during this time? What changes have you made in your life? We’d love to hear from you! So, please get in touch at Food For The Soul.
Embrace change, my friends, and most of all, be WELL!
Wholeheartedly,
Your Food For The Soul Team
Wellness Tonic To-Go
Since 2017, the Alzheimer’s Association has featured prominently for our family in my Dad’s care as he goes through his dementia journey. The 2021 End Alzheimer’s Walk season is here, please consider supporting this cause by going to The JWalkers Team Page and making a donation.
So grateful for your support! Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.