“When I was in my twenties, my best girlfriends and I nicknames one of our favorite junk foods “cocaine munchies” — those mini powdered donuts that come about two dozen to a bag. Obviously, we called them “cocaine munchies” because of the powdered sugar’s resemblance to that other white, powdery substance. But the donuts had something else in common with their namesake: they were downright addictive!” Christine Avanti, author of Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food
I’m in Houston, Texas for a few days for family birthday celebrations. It’s in the upper seventies; sun is shining and I can’t do laundry and I don’t have to worry about fixing meals and it’s like a little mini-vacation! Children have a half-day, so it’s the calm before the storm, so to speak. :)) I’m drinking acid–free organic coffee and reading a book called Skinny Chicks Eat Real Food, a book my daughter-in-law had on her bookshelf. She had gone to a program given by the author of the book and said that changing the way she bought and ate food was making a big difference in how she feels, physically and so emotionally, too. This daughter-in-law has MS. She never complains. She never even mentions it unless I specifically ask. She is gracious about the fact she has it. That’s an inspiration to me. But she’s also fit and healthy and beautiful … and organized!! I try to learn lessons from her when we’re together.
Both of my daughters-in-law in Kansas City (and my biological daughter) have taught me so much, too. If we’re all open to learning from each other, we all move forward much faster. Like Christine Avanti, she grew up on a ranch, she is a nutritionist at a rehad center called Passages and she’s discovered a lot about how changing our diet can change our lives for the better.
That’s how it is in the MDRcommunity, too. Some of us have life experiences and can share what we’ve learned. Some of us are younger and can help the others with new ways of doing things. We all come from different perspectives and different ways of looking at things. And another thing that’s cool is that even if one of us is in the pits on a certain day or something is really causing us pain, we might still have just the word of encouragement that someone else needs that day.
So, it’s not like any of us are just always on the receiving end of help …. We all should be on the giving end as well. That’s the beauty of any community. And according to Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, a random group of diverse people from different backgrounds, places and circumstances come up with better solutions to problems than a group of specialists like psychologists or accountants or any other specific group.
The MDRcommunity has businesswomen, full-time homemakers, entrepreneurs, mothers, opera singers, farmers, psychologists, nurses, realtors and on and on … all who are somewhere on the divorce recovery road. With all of that wisdom and knowledge, we can’t help but get new ideas about moving forward. We can learn what’s helped someone else, what we would do differently, what’s worked and what hasn’t worked for other women.
So, if you’re part of the MDRcommunity, don’t forget that part of your healing is sharing your wisdom with others. Look through “A Place to Talk” and start a new conversations stream or look at all the topics to add your two-cents to. If you’re not a member, try us out for a month and see what you think. You can cancel any time you want with no more charges at all. Plus, in the MDRcommunity there are lots of free resources to help you on your way, too. And thanks to all who so willingly contribute every week. I am so proud of all of your generosity in sharing encouragement.
So, I’ve got to run. No, not really. I’m going to go get another cup of Trader Joe’s acid-free coffee and go sit in the sun and read a bit more. (I’m trying hard not to feel a bit guilty about this!)
“He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” 2 Corinthians 1:4
