Being green

I didn't start off as green person. I didn't start off eating organic. It started as a slow journey for me more than 15 years ago.

It has come for me in moments.

It came for me first at the moment when I was 23 and had a fasting cholesterol of 218 and it's been as high as 230. I've battled it every step of the way trying to avoid medication with diet and exercise.

The second set of "moments" were when my father died at 52. It was during surgery for a heart bypass due to peripheral vascular disease caused by high cholesterol, two months after my wedding. It was one of the most devastating moments of my life. My Aunt, his sister, had passed 7 years before at age 52 of a weird cancer they weren't even sure what it was. Then, my sister in law died at age 24 when my oldest was 1o months old, leaving behind 2 little girls, from a disease to this day they don't know what it was.

All of those losses were the hardest things I had ever been though,

and as a mother I knew I wanted to still be here at 52 for my kids, and hopefully, God-willing, they won't have to go through the pain of missing some one they loved so much.

So we started eating healthier and excersizing. I breast-fed after I read about the benefits. I stared looking into what was really healthy and what was not.

Then my middle child developed breathing issues and I wanted to make the house a better place to breathe and less toxic for her so we started with more natural, non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaners.

When I started reading about pesticides and I knew that they were meant to kill things, living things. With the way our family had weird things happened, I didn't want to take any chances. and I knew I didn't want any of that in my families bodies. We went with a organic lawn service at first and finally due cash flow, an organic lawn :) dandelions anyone?

It's been a slow transition for us, and a small price adjustment a bit at a time. It's expensive to eat organic, but to us it's worth it, and it's just such an individual life choice and style, that I hope eventually more people choose.

I've heard people say they think they are better of not knowing. Knowing opened my eyes to what is really going on with our food. I am glad I know.

Which led to us to buying more organic produce, and growing a lot of our own food in the summer months to offset the cost of winter buying. The sun, dirt and rain are free.

I was happy to see the moment after making the final switch to grass-fed beef and free range eggs this year, my total cholesterol went from 226 to 200. I was ecstatic. I haven't even been really exercising. So I know if I actually get my butt in gear, It would be even better. I don't know if it would work for everyone, but it made a huge change for me.

It was a great moment. And I hope it is followed by many more.

Way more than 52 years.