August indicates the last month of summer. It seems unreal that summer is about over, and although I will enjoy a respite from the heat, I will miss the long days and beautiful sunsets.
As we wrap up the summer cooking series, focusing on the heart and small intestines, I want to reiterate the information from last month’s class during this month’s class.
As many of you know, the class got interrupted. I had a family emergency in the middle of class, and if you’ll allow me to be personal in this blog, I want to share with you one more example where healthy living is a benefit.
My momma had a mid-brain mini-stroke, and we had to take her to the hospital. She was there for 3 days with all sorts of tests. I continue to be grateful for the healthy lifestyle my family and I have embraced to contribute to the positive outcome of her situation. Doctors were amazed that at 90, she was on no prescribed medications and had no existing conditions. They were able to run all the tests needed and determine she had an ischemic stroke. She was affected on her right side. Her face was not affected, but her right arm and right side of her body, including her leg, were. However, within a week, her right hand returned to normal coordination, and she was able to stand and move her right leg, to the amazement of her physical therapists and nurse practitioners.
I share this because the body, when given the proper raw materials to support it (such as clean balanced foods on a daily basis), is capable of recovering at a stronger level than is often expected, no matter what age or what the circumstances.
It does help that my momma has a fighting spirit and grit to be independent, but we walked out of a hospital situation without any collateral damage of infections, pneumonia, etc. that often plague the elderly when they end up in an emergency situation.
In macrobiotics, we teach a balanced life that focuses on the management of daily, quality food intake as the main source of health promotion. Those of us that have been blessed to create a dramatic life change using this philosophy have experienced its healing power. The daily sustainability of living without pain and having the stamina to carry out your daily tasks are all blessings. It is at times like these, when you don’t know what life will throw at you, that it becomes obviously important to have your body be in a place of strength, so when something threatens your well-being, it does not ripple into an array of other problems.
I leave you with this thought: Choose to be the creators of your lives, not merely the managers of your circumstances.
Please join us on Saturday, the 13th, for a delicious summer meal supporting the heart and small intestines.
~Virginia
