Wednesday, August 29, 2018

.A look back at myself 3 1/2 years ago... or "The girl at Pierre La Fond's"

Hello visitor

If you're new to this...Here's the latest. So over 3 years ago I completed my own 30 Day Broth Fast and lost 35 pounds in 2 months and eliminated a whole host of medical problems. I ended up losing another 10 pounds literally without trying over the next few months. Now with over 50,000 people reading this blog, I thought it was time to assemble a book. You're welcome to read from this point or you can go back a couple of years and start at the beginning. If you'd like to do that: CLICK HERE

First a short story before my main point of today blog posting.

After being on the road for 17 days working as a consultant to schools I returned to Santa Barbara and the arms of my sweet wife.

After being away from the house for that many days, the transition back to "home life" is not always the easiest. So to do what is familiar and comforting can help in the process. When I arrived, I knew that my wife would not still be at work. So I walked over to a familiar coffee shop near our house in Montecito called Pierre La Fond. I have been going there for decades. And I found myself enjoying a lovely cup of roasted grains called "Teechino". If you like rich, coffee-like drinks, without caffeine, this might be one that you enjoy. As I was about to leave, I saw a familiar face and a familiar little dog.  I greeted her as one might. She stopped me and said, "Can I ask you for some advice?"

Advice? Are you kidding me? There is little that I like to do better than give advice. And the fact that she asked, impressed me. We live in a world where people believe that they know everything that there is to know, and if for any reason they do happen to see a lack of expertise, they search online for an answer that fits with their way of thinking. It's a rare day when we ask each other for advice. Yet this dear woman did just that. She is wise. A wise individual "seeks" the advice of others...and after pondering the advice makes their own "educated" decision.

This lady told me that she was going through a lot. How she had a good job but just quit. And then struggled a bit to find another, and then quit again. And she explained the financial ramifications of the time off, without pay, between jobs...well, she wasn't doing as well as she would have liked. She also spoke at length about bosses and co-workers in the past who had not treated her very kindly. They made quite an impact on her, and she clearly hadn't forgotten about that.  Furthermore she spoke of family members who were less than nice as well.  And when she asked for help they gave her a bad time. And it seemed like at least some of the family had completely shut her off.  She said that she was hurting quite a bit...financially and emotionally. Thankfully she was not trying to ask me for money, she only wanted advice...and perhaps a listening ear. And I was the right guy for the job because I sure knew how she felt from first hand experience. I too had been treated badly, been in difficult financial times, and had significant family issues.  She was still in the midst of all of this and I had just gone through it.

She had a great job prospect outside the area but where she knew no one. She was unsure of starting all over, brand new, where no one knew her, nor her past.

And this is where the main point of the blog begins...

Often times people who are struggling need a re-start. Like when our computer is all messed up...which probably means that it is not a Mac, we re-boot it. We shut it down and give it a chance to start over. The computer closes all of those pesky programs and attempts to start over. But the problem is that those programs are still in the computer. And perhaps there a viruses, small and large, that are making things run slowly and causing catastrophic failures.