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If you’re anything like me, you love food.  You sing and dance whenever there’s good food in the midst.  If you don’t, don’t judge me because I sure do! I haven’t battled the bulge for nothing.  I mean, it’s so much easier for me to tell you what I don’t like to eat as oppose to trying to narrow my list down to one particular favorite item.  I often tell people that I would love to travel to Italy but just for the food. Trust me when I tell you, I am a total foodie!  If you share my sentiments when it comes to good eating, then you’ll love our March series.

This month, we’re celebrating all things food on the show.  No one can argue with the fact that food brings people together and it’s the source of fellowship; no matter what environment or atmosphere you’re in. We come together and break bread with one another when we’ve lost a loved one, when we’re celebrating birthdays and graduations, weddings or baby showers, and a whole host of other life events.  Companies and entrepreneurs take their clients out to eat when trying to win their business.  Food is one of the main common denominators.

There are entire networks dedicated to the preparation of sweet and savory treats.  Entire cultures have influenced the preparation of dishes and how we celebrate various ways of life.  We have family traditions that aren’t quite right when certain items are missing from the menu.  Don’t even get me started on family reunions and other gatherings where someone is asking for mom’s mac and cheese or grandma’s caramel cake.

Secret “if I tell you, I’d have to kill you” recipes are passed down generations so that the perfect dish isn’t lost over time.  We even take pride in teaching our children the “tricks of the trade” when it’s time for them to learn how to handle business in the kitchen.  There’s no doubt about the fact that food is the bomb and there’s nothing like a good grub session with friends and family.

I do hope that you will tune in this month as we spotlight local business owners in the DFW area who facilitate our love for good eating.  This is definitely a series that you won’t want to miss!

Until next time…

Moriya

At the start of every year gyms and fitness centers the world over see an epic increase in the number of folks who feel that “now is the time” to get fit and make lifestyle changes.  Regular gym folk are simultaneously unnerved and entertained by the fact that their safe havens have been invaded and overrun by born again holistic, healthy, holy rollers who have decided that they too will overcome the battle of the bulge.  The ramp up to the new year is encouraged advertisers as well.  There are generous discounts offered for new memberships and the commercial overload is unspeakable at times.  It’s a booming business for many personal trainers, fitness instructors, and others but I rarely see balance.

Some people stick it out and do the work to get healthy.  They change their diets, they work out regularly, and they not only reach, but they maintain their fitness goals.  They go on to inspire others to do the same.  On the other end of the spectrum are those who start out full of positive energy; they’re rare and ready to go.  Countertops are lined with meal prep containers, blenders and juicers remain at the ready, and accountability partners are on standby.  However, somewhere down the line, the zeal for liberation fades and by the end of January, going into the start of February, all is lost and just about forgotten. Regular routines are resumed, and nothing has really changed.  Again, I rarely see balance.

I happen to believe that we forget that there’s more to our overall health than just the outer appearance of a slim and trim figure or a lower blood pressure.  We forget to include other aspects of health and wellness.  Let’s face it, even the healthiest people commit suicide.  Some of the most physically fit individuals aren’t happy and regularly struggle with emotional imbalance.  There are those who believe in God or some other deity, but the other areas go lacking.  Real life begins to take hold and suddenly there’s no time for the gym.  There’s no time for prayer and/or meditation.  Dinner is whatever happens to whichever establishment has the shortest drive thru line.

Your spouse and/or children need you.  Your job needs you.  Perhaps, you’re heavily active in ministry.  At the end of the day, there’s no time for you to take care of yourself.  Which begs the question, how can balance be achieved?  How do we get to the place where the mind, body, and soul are equally healthy?    Is there a perfect formula or method that one must follow?  Or is settling for functional chaos and mere survival the only option?

This month we’ll be tackling health and wellness but from a holistic perspective.  We want to talk about mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a healthy lifestyle.  We’ll be discussing diets, workout regimens, and the importance of balance.  This is a very exciting time for all involved.  Let’s achieve balance together! I do hope you’ll join us. 

Until next time…

Moriya

Words are the most powerful weapons a human being can possess and their power is taken for granted, neglected, and irresponsibly wielded on a daily bases.  Now, I’d like to say that people don’t understand or fully recognize how impactful their words can be but that would be a lie.  The cliché that ignorance is bliss helps to reinforce that lie.  We can be quite crafty creatures when we want to be.

For example, when someone is angry, they know exactly what to say in an argument to hurt or damage whomever it is they’re angry with.  When someone is passionate about something they believe in, they find the words to say in an attempt to persuade another person or a group of people to agree with and join them in their cause.  So it would be fair to argue the point that people do know the power of their words when it’s convenient for that power to be acknowledged in order to get a particularly desired result.

But we can be so hypocritical at times.  Can’t we?  On one hand, it’s okay for someone to speak their mind as long everyone believes the same thing and agrees with what’s being said.  If I’m happy, you’re happy and everything is right with the world so we can hold hands and get along.  On the other hand, people have been coerced and shamed into silence because of someone else’s inferiority complex, misplaced judgement, or inability to see a situation from a different perspective.  They’re told that their words don’t matter; that they’re insignificant because what’s been spoken is making a majority of folks uncomfortable.  We listen in order to design our response, not to hear what’s being said.  We’ve lost the art of effective, productive communication.

At the end of the day, I’m a firm believer that whatever is spoken into the atmosphere will manifest.  It doesn’t matter whether the person speaking has said something positive or negative; it will show itself in some shape, form, or fashion.  In the world we live in today, it’s become commonplace for words to be tossed back and forth with no regard for the seeds being planted or the harvest that will come behind what’s been spoken.  There’s no respect for what we speak over and into one another.  We react before we assess.  It’s about striking first before being stricken.  It’s about self-preservation.

My hope is that Thinking Out Loud will begin to reshape and change the way we use our words on a global scale.  I desire for the art of true communication to be restored. This month we’ll be speaking with different authors in the literary community about their past and present projects, as well as how they feel we can go about being and bringing the change we all say we want to see.  You have the power of life and death in your mouth and you can create or destroy with that power. You have what you say.

So, what are your words doing?  What are you saying?

Until next time…

Moriya