Slammdanderz

“My parents didn’t know any better.  They just bought the food that they saw in the market: the cereals, the cookies, the canned foods.  And I didn’t know any better either.  I was just a kid.  I ate the food that I saw in my house.  There were words on the label that I didn’t understand: added this, added that, chemicals to make it last longer, chemicals to make it cheaper, chemicals to make it thicker, chemicals to hold everything together.  But I didn’t question any of it.  Because they used kids in the advertisements.  I always saw other kids eating the food and promoting it.  The government wasn’t helping.  With their pyramids and their charts that everyone follows.  It all seemed OK.  But it was all junk and sugar.  Now my mom and dad and brother have diabetes.  I have fibroids and stuff like that.  Recently they took out my thyroid because it was showing signs of cancer.  I’m starting to think that it’s all linked.  They sell us poison so they can sell us pills.  I’m trying to eat better now.  I’m trying to learn.  But the more I learn, the less I know where to go.  I know that everything in the aisles is killer.  But even the fruits and vegetables have chemicals.  If I wanted to be completely sure, I’d have to have my own farm.  It’s just not possible.” (Montreal, Canada)

“Honestly I just fell into it.  I started as an engineering major.  Then one night I was slaving over my physics homework, while my roommate sipped tea on the couch and read a novel.  So I decided to be an English major like her.  Ten years later I’m working as a copywriter at an advertising agency.  You know that feeling when you’re pulling into the driveway, but you can’t remember anything about your ride home?  That’s a bit how it feels.  Like I blinked and I’m eight years down a career path that I just sort of fell into.  There’s plenty to be grateful for.  It’s a good enough job.  I’m not living paycheck to paycheck.  I can afford to have fun and take vacations.  But my job is not my passion.  And every story you see elevated on social media is: ‘I loved this thing.  It became my passion.  And then it became my career.’  There’s not many people saying: ‘My job isn’t my passion, but I love mountain biking on the weekends.  And that’s enough for me.’  I think the feeling I’m trying to resolve is a sense of ‘enoughness.’ There’s so much I love about my life, but I spend most of my time at work.  Is it OK to get my joy outside of work?  Or does my passion need to be tied to my livelihood and a sense of responsibility?” (Toronto, Canada)

     frightened rabbit – holy

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~ Eckhart Tolle

absence by @censoredpiracy

Photo by Sonia Lenardon

Maggie Peterson, “I Will Rise Again” (via twloha)