Back at it again...I think?
“There’s two types of ways you can see the world isn’t it?
‘I’ve done so much, everybody owes me something.’ or ‘What can I give?’”
-Ray Cappo (Youth of Today)
I grew up riding skateboards, listening to hardcore and punk music, and unknowingly building community. Into adulthood I found myself creating things with my friends, mostly we’d look at one another, and say which of our dreams are we going to make come true today? I don’t think we were aware enough at the time to realize that by making our dreams come true, we might be giving opportunities to others to live their dreams as well.
As I keep moving forward in this march through time, Now I try to look at the things I do a bit more critically. I hope that I’m asking what can I give in everything I do. As a dietitian, I feel that one thing I can give is freedom. That’s a pretty heavy responsibility, if you ask me.
How does one give freedom you ask? As one of the recognized nutrition experts, I am able to give my patients and clients freedom from fears of foods, freedom from stigma about their weight or body size, freedom from pseudoscience, and most importantly: the freedom to enter a food environment and pick up exactly what they want. That’s how I look at my job. I try not to walk in with a mindset of I have SO MUCH education and experience, and you owe me your attention and money’ but rather, How can I give everything I have and make this a positive experience for someone outside of myself.
Admittedly, some days it’s difficult. At times I just want to shake people and say “Don’t you see I’m giving you the keys to the Ferrari here?” I have to check myself on those days. I’m just here to give what I can, and it’s the other person’s job to decide what they are willing to give.
With that, I think I will rededicate myself to giving at least 20 minutes a day to offering something of value to those of you out in the internet world. Some days there will be recipes, some days I’ll address questions you may have. I might even address a fad diet or two. In the end the goal is to create a world of more freedom for all of us, where we see doors instead of walls, gates instead of fences, and paths to a more just and equitable future starting with food, the food that we’ll use to power us to find the gift we each have inside of us to share.