We’re so busy when we’re young, and so many of roles are proscribed, we can forget it’s an open and flexible system.

Lamenting my “last baby,” I was reminded by an older friend that she went weekly to neonatal unit at hospital and sat and rocked newborns.

On a recent flight to Seattle, I met an 80 year old woman with her foster baby. She took newborns to their adoptive parents, usually a plane ride. There she was with infant seat, bottles, diaper bag, and whole thing. How she did it physically I don’t know. It must’ve been drive of her heart, satisfaction she got, and physical condition she had to be in to do it. The heart will motivate.

Emotional Intelligence involves flexibility and being able to generate new solutions. Just as teenager must one day have her first job, you will one day have to move into new territory, one way or another. Re-creating roles is one thing you can do for better aging. If you are “stuck” on a certain definition and in “yes, but” mode, consider something different. CLIENT: I miss so much being a mother. ME: Then go mother someone. CLIENT: That’s not same thing. That’s not being their REAL mother. ME: Says who?

I have had, when working at children’s shelter, a child tell me, “I know you’re my real mom.” Yes, it’s heart-rending. Yes, that’s part of it. Wasn’t it part of it first time round?

As a volunteer director, I relied on many people who were starting new roles, and more they considered it their job, their real job, more helpful they were to me.

Managing kitchen of shelter can be as much a real management job as you make it, and if you think it isn’t “real” and isn’t needed, on what do you base your judgment?

Does money have to change hands? There are other things to work for, and other rewards, and if being important is one of them, you will, if anything, be more important, because many volunteers call in at slightest whim to cancel, or don’t show up at all. They don’t take it seriously. Taking things seriously is a personal decision and totally within your control. Molly has “adopted” her niece and nephew by-marriage, who are very young and going through some very difficult times. Notice these people are not even related to her. With a newborn in house, their toddler has been diagnosed with a heart defect, possibly terminal, and requiring lots of care, while one of their parents is also dying. No one told them Molly wasn’t their mother. And believe me, no one asked for her credentials when she showed up at door of this overwhelmed young couple.

Somewhere there’s someone who needs you in role you value most, and if you haven’t found them, you’re being lazy. Don’t be lazy. You’re needed. Get out there!

This made sense because either way you are going to be eating a lot of vegetables, which nobody would argue, is a good thing. So I started my modified protein vegan style diet.

I went almost a month eating meat and veggies, when my weight loss seemed to plateau. So after that I decided to try a pasta diet, properly combined, for a while. And guess what, I lost some more weight week I ate carbohydrates.

A little over a month and I had lost 30 pounds and have kept it off for nine months now. So my question is this.

Do you think vegans have answer? Maybe,

Do you think protein lovers have answer? Maybe,

Do you think food combining theory carries some weight?

I would say so. I would say it carries about 30 pounds of weight.