I am empty. A hole as big as the moon inside of me. Bottomless, so I cannot fill it. Nothing in my realm of experience offers knowledge of how to replenish the void that swallowed my soul. I hurt. Each new injury either self-inflicted or by another—emotional or physical—stretches and extends the cavity. Like the tearing of skin and muscle…
A couple of weeks ago I told you about my commitment to pause in a moment of gratitude before one meal each day. As of last week I hadn’t been very successful in achieving this goal; I was feeling some inner resistance. But today I’m proud to report that I’m definitely making progress. Why the turnaround? Good timing had something…
Welcome to Second Acts, a series of interviews with interesting people who discovered new pathways midway through their lives. Udo Erasmus, Ph.D., known as the Father of Flax Oil, is responsible for our modern understanding of the importance of essential fatty acids in the human diet. His discoveries came as a result of becoming sick from working with pesticides. It’s a testament…
In keeping with our focus on food this month, here are some movies that may—or may not—make you hungry. Let us know about your favorite food films in the comments below.
In the late spring of 2001, back in the days of innocence, before the complete rupture of innocence, really, I flew down to visit a friend of mine who was renting a house in Charleston, South Carolina. It was my first time in the real South. The weather was perfect and I felt carefree. My friend had tickets to several…
Last week I told you about my personal challenge to pause at the beginning of one meal each day in a moment of meditation or gratitude before eating. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I haven’t been very successful so far in achieving that goal. I thought it would be easy, but I’m having difficulty remembering to do it!…
One summer when I was a teenager, my mother was nervous about a cousin’s impending visit. Pam had become a vegetarian and my mother had no idea how to cook for her. How would she get any protein? My mother was deeply worried. My father, who loved hamburgers and steak, was much calmer. “Tolstoy and Gandhi were vegetarians, and Thoreau…
When people learn that I have cancer, they usually stammer, sputter, turn pale, and back away. When people learn that I am a vegan? They get mad. The other day I had a phone conversation with a woman who organizes an annual spa day for women with cancer. She told me that a speaker a few years ago said that…
I was raised by Italian-American parents. At our house, every Sunday dinner was a multi-course extravaganza. Family and neighbors and friends sat down to a table laden with pasta, meatballs, chicken, salad, vegetables…. Meals at our house were all about overabundance, just as in all the popular movies where the Italian mother puts food on the table and hollers, “Mangia!” I…
