Organic.. or IS IT?

Ok, so when I was new to this I really didn't know the difference. Organic, natural, what's the big deal?

There is a really big one. Natural is just that. It's natural. Minimally messed with. Minimally synthesized. If I chicken nugget can be natural that should clear it up for most parents. Chickens don't have nuggets. No matter how hard you look you will never find one. But they can be natural chicken nuggets because they can process and shape real chicken into one.
Natural is a good start though if you are just beginning to learn about how bad some things can be. It promises that there are:
NO toxic or persistent pesticides, synthetic growth hormones, petroleum based fertilizers, and cloning.


And then there's organic. Granted I'm a little biased but WHY would you not? Organic means the way something was supposed to be before we (humans) messed with it.
Organic means:
NO toxic or persistent pesticides (that's what everyone wants right?)
NO synthetic growth hormones (that's what everyone deserves right?)
NO petroleum (oil) based fertilizers (who wants oil remnants in their food?)
NO cloning (because things can go wrong when we attempt that)
NO artificial colors or flavors ('Cuz those do weird things to a lot of us)
NO artificial preservatives ('Cuz if it can stay on a shelf for 12 years you probably shouldn't eat it)
NO irradiated products or ingredients ('Cuz radiation isn't your friend)
NO GMO's ('Cuz genetic modification isn't needed for my corn thank you)

Do you ever wonder why everyone has that story of that one great-great-somebody who lived to be 105 and ate everything in sight? Because what they ate was not treated with so much of this junk. It isn't good for you... PERIOD. I didn't really start to notice or care until I had a special needs child but this stuff is serious.

It doesn't have to break the bank. Support local businesses, shop smart, coupon if you have to, grow things or join co-ops if you want. It CAN be done. If nothing else know what you are putting in and on your bodies and in and on the bodies of the people you love. KNOW the difference. Knowledge if power and once you know better you can do better.

Be that great-great-somebody that your kid's kids will talk about.

The Dream

As I sit right now in my comfortable small town suburbia, something is missing. I can't say exactly what it is... maybe it's monotony, maybe it's an (early) mid-life crisis... maybe it can't really be defined in any ways that are that simple. What matters is, something is missing.

Have any of you felt that feeling? Are you feeling it now?

For some people that means a change in job. A new baby. A puppy. A renewed gym membership. That just won't do it for me. I know what I need to do. I have a dream. Nothing as grandiose as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but a dream nonetheless.

I want to move my children to a place where they can play. Really play. Not a, "Watch out there's a car coming... get out of the road" kind of play. The kind of play where they can be outside for hours being BOYS. Where they can explore and imagine and have fun without worrying about anything.

I want to remove our dependence on things that really aren't good for us. I want to know where my food comes from, what chemicals are on it, and what health the animal was in. I want to be a responsible consumer. No more chemical laden soaps and lotions. No more plastics unless there really is no other choice. I want to live naturally.

I am not talking about building a cabin out in the woods and making candles and sewing our clothes. That isn't for me. I like my tv, my radio, and my clothes. But there has to be more to life. There is something missing in this existence that we are in right now.

So this is where the dream is born. I want to shine as bright as the brightest star. I want to have the grace of Orion's light. I know that's a little dramatic, but so am I.

The new life that I want for my sons, my dogs, and myself starts today. I am a long way off but I will make this a reality.

I hope to look back on this as a starting point. I hope you are reading this and seeing where it started from. If you know something is missing for you, make the change. Go a little more organic, buy some real soap, or some real cheese... get that new job, new house or whatever it is you deserve.

Let's make it happen.