Whole Lipstick

I cannot remember the first time I heard the word holistic.  It might have been when I started studying psychology.  There were two tracks at school and one of them was traditional and the other was holistic.  What I do remember is that I thought the person I was talking to said Whole Lipstick.  It took a second to get what he was saying.

Why is this important?  First, because I think it is funny.  But for the purposes of this blog, I wanted to comment on a most daunting task.  I find it almost impossible to dig my way through the mountain of information on what we eat.  Frankly, a lot of the confusion comes from the holistic side of things.  In a future post, I hope to tell you a bit about a book that feels clear to me.  For now...a short story about the way I experience a lot of the information in books and on the web and from people and friends interested in the same things.

The story:  I spent the weekend at a huge Boy Scout gathering commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Boy Scouts in the U.S.  All that youth, mostly boys, gathered for a good cause...no threat or fear of violence.  I found it remarkable.  I woke up on Saturday feeling sure I was coming down with the flu.  I took a couple of Advil and for fun I put a moleskin patch on my forehead.  In short order I felt fine.  I told several of the boys that the moleskin patch is all I use for headaches, hoping they would tell their parents or maybe try it themselves. :)

Except what exactly made me feel better?  If had left well enough alone would the funk have passed on by?  Did joking and laughing with the boys about something as absurd as a moleskin cure get me up and going?  Did focusing on a spot in my body help me control my pain response?  Or was it the cinnamon rolls?

Learning to understand and listen to my body is gonna take some time.  Learning to dig through all the advice and passion in the world might take longer.  I think I'll just lay on the couch and put on some lipstick...the whole thing.

*****

191 after a tough Saturday of camp snacks.  I did O.K. at first...Banana's and Power Bars, but at the end of the day I was finishing the kids left overs as we 'cleaned up'...fries, chips, muffins, etc.   The good news is that I think I logged 7-10 miles walking.   Today was a great day of apples, cheese, yogurt, nuts, salads, veggies and a great Weight Watchers chili we got from Jeanine Pells.  Annette and I watched the sun set on a beautiful afternoon while walking a couple of miles.