June 27, 2013 - Live What You Believe

The abundant rain in Georgia has really given us a boost of color and health this summer. It has been a couple of years since I have seen green grass in June and land that doesn't looked baked and fried. I am holding my breath waiting to see what next month brings but celebrating that June has been green and lush. I had an interesting experience at lunch yesterday that I would like to share. I joined a group at a restaurant and was first shocked that the menu was very limited in what it offered for lunch. (I did check the menu before going but could not pronounce some of the words, so I determined I could simply ask for a salad) There was nothing simple about the experience. I think probably the owner was our waitress and you gotta give the girl props, she KNEW the menu. Mindful, there were limited items listed, but she knew exactly what was being offered. When someone asked, "can I simply get a salad with some grilled chicken added?" The response was, "no." At first I was like, "what?" But the "no's" didn't stop there. The waitress was calm, not overly friendly, and certainly well within the control zone of the ordering phase. She quickly discerned that none of had experienced such a unique menu before and with effortless, often unemotional responses, she continued to direct us to how she felt the menu was best enjoyed. Her composure was one of which I wasn't certain I wanted to "mess" with. Not fear - just she's in control - OK. I want to report that while my lunch was simple - it was very tasty! But I did look at her determination in the face of what "she knew was right" and had to applaud her quietly. The choices she suggested were VERY healthy and when a sandwich was listed, she commented, "the crab is best served on a bed of lettuce and not bread." No playful gesture, no second guessing. She repeated the statement in such a way that we got the crab on a bed of lettuce simply our of her deep conviction. Again, I wasn't certain how to take her, but driving away I thought, "she lives what she believes and she is not dissuaded by others' feelings." It was evident that she felt deeply about how the food was prepared and served. (mostly organic and again, things I could not pronounce) I began to reflect on my own journey along this health path. I am hopeful that during times of "lunch" meetings and social gatherings it could be said of me "she lives what she believes." Can that be said of us today? Do our families and friends see that our health is one of our most critical belief systems? We DON'T need a t-shirt and we DON'T need to speak loudly at every gathering, but we do need to "live what we believe," as this gives hope to so many. The lady yesterday was void of personality but steeped in conviction. I could see totally that she believed that people should be healthy. I do toooooo, but am trying to convey that with a little more humor and grace. (wink) Eat well this day, share your fruits and veggies and "live what you believe!" PK