I could cry. Everyday I could cry. When my sons mouth flares up from an allergy what I see is the symptom of possible invisible stomach ulcers forming (which is what happens when the stomach is repeatedly barraged with allergens) and then possible cancer. I fear a warning of death. I am in anguish. Of course I don't react like it. I look him in the eye and tell him we are going to figure it out, and it's going to stop and he is going to get healthy.
But inside I am crying. I am riddled with guilt. What was it this time? I am screaming with rage at the food system. I am imagining the incarceration of greedy food and chemical corporation executives. For the sake of all the others, I want to grab the school lunch workers, the grocery store managers, the camp organizers and my own family members and shake them and yell, "Wake Up! Learn about is in our food! Don't serve that junk to our children! Don't eat that junk! Don't die from your food!"
I feel like I am rock climbing up a sheer cliff with no harness and no end in sight.And when I take my son for another check up and, despite our highly managed diet, discover more allergies, I feel like I am falling. It is a total breakdown in my commitment to healthy children. I love my son so much I can't put words to the love. I will do anything.
The more I research the more I find out the enormity of the situation. It is not just multiple allergies that has me so upset. I can handle making food before we go to parties and saying no to the ice cream truck and birthday cake.
It's the probable, almost certain future I see, one of sickness and a country resigned that this "just is the way it is". I see the reality of Congress recently vetoing the bill to have GMO foods labeled(ARRRGHHH!) and Americans continuing to go blind to the toxins in our foods and the rise in cancer. The probable, almost certain future of more drugs manufactured to feed to millions of children with symptoms from the chemicals genetically engineered into our foods. The probable, almost certain future of the continued rise of autism, allergies, and cancer.
I have a choice though, in what I see. I am human and I will have my times of rage and fear. If I don't I won't be authentic. But I don't empower my sons, myself or my community by stewing in stress.
So I am choosing. This week I created the possibility of being adventurous,love and generosity....what can I create coming from that? What kind of future do I see now?
I choose to be inspired by my sons patience and willingness to drink green goopey drinks. I choose to see the inspiration in the other countries of the world, like Europe, where they have banned food dyes, GMO's and chemicals like sodium benzoate. The food companies make Skittles and processed foods without those additives for them. They have done it. We can too.
I see adventures in eating whole foods, organic and mostly vegetarian. I see beautiful red,orange and yellow fruits and vegetables and homemade fruit bars and crunchy organic kale snacks. I see adventures in cooking with my healthy son!
I see a future where people come together with love and stand for Real Food, where we appeal to lawmaker's love of people and children...where generosity of spirit triumphs over greed.
That is a future that will have me crying tears of joy.
And I am the person to create that future....to cause a breakthrough from a breakdown. So I promise, everyday to take an action to create that....and when I experience the fear and rage I will get it out and then take an action from adventure, love and generosity.
Thank you dear friends for whatever you can do to speak up and tell our government that we stand for Real Food,and we come from love.
Thank you.
Zen Honeycutt
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