Raw Liberation

If we could live on uncooked food alone, we should be saving so much time and energy, as well as money, all of which may be utilized for more useful purposes. ~Mohandas K. Gandhi

This quote which I found on LivingFruity's blog has always resonated with me. When Karmyn was visiting with me in Costa Rica we touched on this too. 811rv is liberating in so many ways.

First there is the time I save in the kitchen. I still get the urge, every once in awhile to prepare something fancy, perhaps even gourmet raw just for the fun of it. I made a fancy watermelon "cake" for my son's birthday for example. I also get the inkling to dehydrate stuff every so often too. I come across some recipe that tickles my curiosity and I try it out. But the fact that I no longer have to prepare 3 meals per day, 7 days a week, day in and day out is such a BLESSING. The best part is that I have no guilt that the "fast" food I eat and serve my family is unhealthy processed junk like microwave dinners or fast food restaurant fare. I just cut open a watermelon and dig in with a spoon or wrap some lettuce around a banana and run out the door! It's that easy.

There are still so many people, especially women, that are slaves in the kitchen. Even people that eat out most of the time and don't do their own cooking pay so much of their hard-earned money, time and their health on these cooked meals. Also, think about the social gatherings, somebody usually slaves many hours preparing the meal, people then eat these heavy meals and basically fall asleep. They have no energy to do anything but recuperate from the meal. How fun is that? Wouldn't it be more fun to eat a nice light raw meal and then enjoy a fun activity with your friends and loved ones when you get together?

Then there is the freedom to thoroughly enjoy my physical body, especially in athletic pursuits. I never could have dreamed it possible that at 42 I could actually take up jogging. Dr. Ruth Heidrich is one of my heroes, but she's not exceptional. There's no reason why I couln't do an Iron-man one day too!

Next, I can't speak about raw liberation without talking about the health freedoms that I'm now enjoying. I have not missed one day of work for a "sick day" in 2 years. I used to regularly miss days at least once a month because of my excruciating periods (which now last about a day and barely fill one panty-liner hehehe!). Then, there were the "colds" that would hit me at least once a month. Seasonal, as well as contact, allergies put me in the hospital on numerous occasions. I'm not afraid of getting older anymore because I know that I'll be enjoying fantastic health then too.

Finally, the thing I appreciate the most about 811rv is the freedom it gives me to think outside of the box. 811rv has given me the courage to change jobs. I quit a high paying but dis-satisfactory job for a really fun job. I'm now working outside most of the time, surrounded by beautiful flowers, doing physically challenging stuff and I get my winters off to enjoy in Costa Rica. I'm living on less and truly enjoying it. I also look forward to my next "job" of traveling the world, perhaps woofing, spreading the 811rv message. Whether I get paid or not for doing what I love and making my dreams come true doesn't worry me in the least. How many people do you know that are still stuck in a rat race and see no way out of it? We must spread the word.