I say look closer
We live in a very, what I like to call “In Your Face’ society. Everything everyone does now is for some reason posted, tweeted, instagrammed and told to the world, literally for some, minute by minute. Its to a point were social media has become yet another reminder of what your not doing, what you can’t eat, where your not going, what your not looking like, and who your not doing it with. ALL glaring you right in the face on your computer and your phone.
I say look closer…. it’s a moment in time and is it even real? . I ask you if you were having that much fun would your first instinct be to run to your phone to take pics or “update your status” ? Do you feel the need to post about your life CONSTANTLY and tell the world how awesome it all is in every moment? Or would it be better to simply enjoy the moment? Truly being in the moment doesn’t mean documenting the moment to moment to look at later or on the phone updating status about the moment that takes you out of the moment. Make sense? It is said that to be truly happy one must live in the moment, every moment.
Hey I’m all for being happy and taking a pic or two but documenting it constantly and telling the world what your doing moment to moment is for who exactly I wonder? All I’m suggesting is to close it all down once awhile. The phone, the facebook, the instagram, the computer. Don’t we already see enough of what we are “suppose to” be, look like, act like, live like, through tv and media everywhere? We are CHOOSING to engage in it even more when we constantly want to share with the world every piece of our day or we choose to look into peoples’ worlds constantly. What may have started as a great way to connect with friends via social media has somehow turned into a favorite pass time. Facebook and social media should not be your hobby and if it is consider this; It may be making you very sad.
Life wasn’t meant to be looked at through the camera lens of our phones and keeping up with friends wasn’t meant to be looking at their constant pictures to “connect”. Pictures are great but tell a very specific story, the story the one posting want you to know, and its not exactly the WHOLE story either I’m sure. Everyone has something that bothers them, makes them sad, and everyone has their own cross to carry, yet we don’t often see those pics or hear about those stories on your social media feed. Yes to hear everyones wows all the time would be hard as well but just remember they are there. Remember what you are seeing from people is what they WANT you to see and perceive of their life and is quite possibly not what’s actually going on.
All I’m suggesting is to disconnect from time to time. Stop reading into and buying all these “should be-s” that we place on ourselves. How about just accepting and loving the WHAT IS and take a pic of that in your mind for the next time you feel like beating yourself up for something you are not. Time to disconnect and connect with yourself. You ARE “normal” too, whatever that means 
Be kinder this year to you.
Below is the original blog from 2013-
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now onto a new year, again. Every year we make promises to ourselves to quit something, change something or start something. I’m suggesting only one thing to adapt this year, BE KIND TO YOURSELF! Forget all the pressure you put on yourself and incorporate treating yourself well. That begins, in my opinion, with taking care of your health!
Being Celiac, as many of you know takes tons of time, patience, self education, constant scrutiny of food, planning, and much, much more. So why put even MORE pressure on yourself by silly resolutions. Don’t we deal with enough already? I say YES! I know for me I will be adapting this rule as well. I still get really down on myself when I don’t feel well for whatever reason Celiac brings that day. I’m extremely careful with my food, lifestyle and surroundings but yet there are days that I go down, literally. Over Christmas I was visiting my boyfriend’s family for the first time in England and drank some Rice milk that wasn’t gluten free I’m guessing. (Not the same regulations on food over there and didn’t have my gluten sniffing pup, Frankie Beans, with me.) Well, I wound up in bed with terrible pain throughout my body and sleeping for hrs, making us BOTH late for Christmas dinner even though I begged my boyfriend to go ahead without me. What a GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION don’t ya think???!?!??!!????!?!!?!!!!!!!!!! I was so disgusted with myself you couldn’t believe, or maybe you could.
When we arrived I apologized profusely yet didn’t want to talk about ME and my disease as the Christmas dinner topic. Everyone was loving, kind and very forgiving. Everyone except me. I could have been swallowed up by my pity party until my boyfriend used my own words on me, “Jen, it is what it is.” He was right, Well I was right, but he reminded me. IT IS WHAT IT IS. I say this all the time to life’s little boulders it throws our way at times. So why wasn’t it the same with this boulder? It IS what IT IS. And WHAT IT IS is an ever changing autoimmune disease that sometimes gets the best of you, BUT so what!!!!!!!!!!!! Move on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What can you do other than take care of yourself, educate yourself to the best of your ability, do your best, and MOVE ON! I will not apologize anymore for having an autoimmune disease. I DID NOT CHOOSE THIS! Of course I will always apologize for being late in such situations, but beyond that, no more. And its ME who needs the forgiving. Forgiving myself that I am only human and this human needs special loving care of both body and mind.
So here’s to a 2013 full of forgiveness, kindness, compassion and patience for THYSELF!
Also this year look forward to more great nutritious recipes, more products that you can TRUST, and OH YES, THE BAKERY IS OPENING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Be Well
Yes the 2013 blog was worth repeating. Great message.
Wow I so agree I personally believe you don’t appreciate life until it changes you
And posting my life stuff is just not my thing
I do have Epilepsy and I’m allergic to wheat I do miss my thick crusted pizza but life goes Miriam Heck I think your kewel !!!!
Yes, Jennifer. I gave up New Year’s resolutions a couple of decades ago, before I knew anything about our disease. Several years ago at a GIG meeting, Dr. Peter Glidden told me “You don’t have bad genes. No one can digest wheat, barley, rye or oats.” It took some more education for that to sink in. The facts, as I have recently heard from Dr. Tom O’Bryan, are that 40-50% of people with a DQ2 or DQ8 gene have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. What I heard from Dr. Marios Hadjivassliou is that not only DQ2 and DQ8 but also DQ5 and DQ6 have a risk for gluten ataxia, an autoimmune disease that attacks your brain. What I learned from Dr. Aristo Vajdani is that antibodies to gluten can attach to your cerebellar cells. What this means is that most people have a genetic risk for their immune system attacking their brains due to toxic gluten in their body and environment. Also, women who are pregnant, in their 3rd trimester the higher their antibodies to gluten, the greater the risk that their child will be schizophrenic as an adult. In my opinion, the toxic gluten grains should be controlled substances. Do you understand that it’s the centuries old culture that should be apologized for, not your body’s reaction to it?
A heartfelt Thank You for all you do!
Thank you, Jennifer! As a newly diagnosed person with celiac, I am in that mode of dealing with the repercussions of the diagnosis. Friends don’t believe the severity yet. They saw me as normal, now I can’t eat their food. They want to help, but they do not know what I know now. Invitations still come, and I feel apologetic for being a fuss, or creating a problem. I feel like I will offend, or have to explain, and all I want to do is keep it to myself.
l need to read, and reread this post to keep me from those thoughts. Thank you so much!
Hi Jennifer,
I want to thank you for being such a huge influencer in the celiac community. I must admit, I’ve been celiac (diagnosed) for 6 years and I haven’t been much of a researcher or blog follower – it makes me too sad at times. But I am so grateful, again, for yours because I decided to check it out at a time when I was in a celiac ill lull, and you suggested some supplements that have seriously changed my day to day. The Methyl Folate has become part of my daily regimen and it’s really made a difference. I’ll be reporting this to my doc, Dr. Anthony DiMarino (Jefferson Hosp – Philly) on Thursday.
I wanted to mention something else I experienced recently which I wonder if you’ve tried… Returning from a Mexico trip before the holidays, I definitely returned with a little glutenization… I took some Imodium, and went into holiday after holiday event, continuing to stuff my gut. Ugh – so bad. So… I scheduled my first colonic or colon-hydrotherapy. While it was an odd 45minutes, I must report that it may have been my best decision of 2014. I’ve felt amazing since, and I’ve been eating differently in the sense that I’m simply eating what I know now digests well. And I’ve been overly hydrating myself since too which is always a good thing for me. Have you ever done or have an opinion on colonics? Now I feel like I did it, and won’t do it again until perhaps after my next Mexico trip
(I have a hard time saying no to tortilla chips!)
So, thought I’d give you a big THANK YOU and congrats on all you’re doing, and hopefully my recommendation above might help you too one day.
Cheers,
@kadud
Hi Jennifer.
You are spot on about unplugging for a while. To examine our path in life does not require a Google Map.
We miss you on Blue Bloods. No one can replace your talent as Jackie. There was truly on screen chemistry between you and Danny.
Best of happiness to you.