It has been thirteen years since my son was diagnosed with multiple food allergies. I still remember how his allergy specialist handled it with us- ugh! And I still remember going to the food store, reading labels and finding next to nothing to feed him safely - ugh! And, I remember crying.....
When 2016 began, I had an inner yearning for this year to be filled with different things. I wanted to celebrate rather than allow previous doom and gloom to invade my family's life. Do I get upset? Yes. Do I get angry? Yes. Do I still cry? Yes. This is a given- a normal reaction that is part of the food allergy journey but in my experience, these "down" events are usually my own way of flushing out the bad and allowing in the good.
After the holidays, I got a package with the newest Glutino product- BIG Pretzels! (Sorry, I felt compelled to capitalize it). As I was munching away to try them out, I realized that this was my much-needed new year push- I wanted BIG, new things to happen. As I crunched, I thought. As I thought, I was inspired. Not in my usual BIG way with recipes but BIG ways in a different light. These are the things that I realized I must do to have an awesome year and I hope that everyone considers them as well. After all, life is too short not to know how to harness your inner peace (or, in this case..piece) ;)
Allow Magical Thoughts into Your Life
Remember that no matter what happens each and every day, tomorrow will be different in some way. Don't let yourself not have fun, don't let yourself not believe that anything and everything can happen. Even if it doesn't, there is no harm in believing. Put glitter on everything, eat some of your favorite foods (safely) and figure out how to make anything and everything special. If you need ideas ask your children. As adults, we often get so wrapped up in being an adult that we have trouble seeing the most enjoyable things that are right in front of us. Even if you don't have children, allow your inner child to come back and visit for awhile. There is nothing sweeter than doing something and having it bring back a long-lost memory that makes you smile when everyone else around you isn't. Your magical thoughts can be your own or can be shared- it's up to you.
Allow Silliness Into Your Life
How could you not?! Being serious all of the time is not good for anyone. Silliness is much more contagious than anger. There is no harm in silliness and there is certainly no harm is seeing just how silly you can be. Silliness can be BIG or small but the positive effects are still the same- allowing your mind to feel the warmth of less stress. Sometimes we all get stuck in a rut or have a bad day but just one, tiny moment can produce a full-blown belly laugh that washes away the "rutty" stuff. Families, jobs, lives, cooking- it can all be taxing or it can all be silly (or, maybe a mixture). Admit it- growing up, what did you remember more; the moment someone you respected had a horrible meltdown-of-a-day or the situation that spawned into a story that you share with everyone to this very day? Take a tip from my daughter- all it takes is some chocolate, a swirly stick, a Glutino Big pretzel and maybe some sunglasses and a hat.
Allow Peace Into Your Life
It's a new year- let the past go. Don't dwell on it, don't obsess on what you cannot fix just move forward. Learn to breathe again. Take time to use what works well for you and what does not. Make sure that your diet is healthier, better and strive to make it tastier and enjoyable like it should be. Minimize all around- something as simple as an afternoon time out with a pretzel snack will allow you to clear your mind and let you start thinking about those silly thoughts that you are finding it difficult to grasp. It's a proven fact that carbs are important and necessary to produce glucose, your main source of energy. Realize that those broken pieces of pretzel in the bottom of the bag are not just crumbs- they are a part of a different recipe.
When 2016 began, I had an inner yearning for this year to be filled with different things. I wanted to celebrate rather than allow previous doom and gloom to invade my family's life. Do I get upset? Yes. Do I get angry? Yes. Do I still cry? Yes. This is a given- a normal reaction that is part of the food allergy journey but in my experience, these "down" events are usually my own way of flushing out the bad and allowing in the good.
After the holidays, I got a package with the newest Glutino product- BIG Pretzels! (Sorry, I felt compelled to capitalize it). As I was munching away to try them out, I realized that this was my much-needed new year push- I wanted BIG, new things to happen. As I crunched, I thought. As I thought, I was inspired. Not in my usual BIG way with recipes but BIG ways in a different light. These are the things that I realized I must do to have an awesome year and I hope that everyone considers them as well. After all, life is too short not to know how to harness your inner peace (or, in this case..piece) ;)
Allow Magical Thoughts into Your Life
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| Chocolate, sprinkles & Surf Sweets on a Glutino Big pretzel |
Allow Silliness Into Your Life
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| I mustache you! |
Allow Peace Into Your Life
It's a new year- let the past go. Don't dwell on it, don't obsess on what you cannot fix just move forward. Learn to breathe again. Take time to use what works well for you and what does not. Make sure that your diet is healthier, better and strive to make it tastier and enjoyable like it should be. Minimize all around- something as simple as an afternoon time out with a pretzel snack will allow you to clear your mind and let you start thinking about those silly thoughts that you are finding it difficult to grasp. It's a proven fact that carbs are important and necessary to produce glucose, your main source of energy. Realize that those broken pieces of pretzel in the bottom of the bag are not just crumbs- they are a part of a different recipe.
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| All we are saying is give peace (a piece) a chance |
Wishing all of you positive thoughts for 2016 ~
Such great messages and great reminders for all of us. I especially like the idea of putting glitter on everything!
ReplyDeleteGlitter makes everything wonderful :)
DeleteI remember the days of crying and not knowing WHAT to buy. I LOVE the positivity in this post and am so happy you have embraced the challenges and take it day by day, and YES to gluten free pretzels <3 haha
ReplyDeleteMandi, thank you! I too have cried (and still do) but I refuse to let food allergies be all gloom & doom! Let us have an occasional pity party but for the most part- let's just eat! <3
DeleteSo true! I often have deep thoughts while eating too!
ReplyDeleteIt can be so hard to feed a child with multiple food allergies. However, it is a good habit to read the labels even for those who can eat anything! Just a healthy habit for sure!
ReplyDelete