I always thought I would be one with the times. I told myself that when my kids were teenagers I would “get them”. My kids are only 4 and 5 and I already feel overwhelmed thinking about how quickly things are changing. And I don’t like it one bit. In fact, it scares me. I can’t help but think that our society is overfed, overstimulated and undernourished.
Technology
I remember a time when you had to go to the library and get an encyclopedia or a journal to do a research project. We didn’t have computers, nintendos, ipads, ipods. We didn’t text, we wrote notes and called each other on the phone (and talked for hours and hours). Don’t get me wrong, I love the internet, the access to quick information and funny animal videos. But I can’t help but wonder how this will affect my kids as teenagers. It has become such an immediate gratification generation and we have lost what is important. Connection to people. I sat at a restaurant the other day and watched couples, or groups of friends sitting across from eachother, phone in hand, head down. Everyone in their own little world, connected by space but completely disconnected with each other. Kids notice it too. My kids will call me on having my phone. “Mommy, don’t go on your phone when we watch this movie”. Sometimes it is so unconcious I am unaware that I am picking up my phone and only realize I’ve been sucked in once they call me on it. We need to make a concious decision to put away our cell phones, turn off the computer and fill our souls with meaning from good conversation, laughter, games, and whatever else makes us feel alive. That is freedom. Being present in the moment. No where else but here.
Food
I watched a great documentary the other day (which is on netflix) called Hungry for Change. For anyone interested in losing weight or getting healthier, I think you should watch it. Tonight. I don’t remember the last time I wrote notes watching a documentary. It moved me into action. Our society has become overfed and undernourished. “Food” on the shelves is hardly food anymore. We are the last defense for our bodies and we have a choice of what we put in there. It is not only WHAT we eat but WHY we eat. It is not what you are eating, but WHAT IS EATING YOU. Obesity is not the problem, it is the solution. People filling a void that can’t be filled.
I generally eat a healthy diet unless I am bored, upset or deprived. In those cases, food is not fuel, it is entertainment, and a solution to how I am feeling. Problem is, it makes me feel worse. And when I try to “diet” and clean up my act, it makes me feel deprived, so I will binge. Maybe not now, maybe a week from now, a month from now, a year from now. The key is to never feel deprived. Instead of taking away food, add the good stuff and change the way you think. Instead of “I want that but I can’t have it” say ” I CAN have it but I don’t want it”.
To those of you who have gotten this far… it is a little bit of a rant. I didn’t know where I was going when I started to write, and I don’t really know why I had such a strong need to express these thoughts.
I guess I feel like the world is becoming less and less “real”. The little things that mean so much seem to fall through the cracks. Isn’t it all about good people, good conversation and good food? Don’t fill the void with meaningless crap, find the reason for the void and get rid of it. I heard a quote from a movie and I have started to follow this advice:
“I don’t drink to feel better, I drink to feel even better” – some Reese Witherspoon movie
Think about your actions.
Be present.
Love yourself enough to nourish yourself properly.
And put away your phones. The world can wait for you to finish your meal.
Being Mia 
Again, dear Mia, your ‘writing down your feelings’ will hopefully trigger readers to follow them up.
I agree with everything you say and your strong need to express your thoughts, is very recognizable for me.!
Well done and please continue the good work!
Love, Mia. ❤
This is EXACTLY where we’re at! Thanks for putting this in writing – so great to see that other people are feeling the same way. We’ve had to limit screen time in a BIG way around here, and our own rules are hard to follow. We’ve cancelled cable, nixed the data plans on our phones, and eliminated video games on school days – and yet we still struggle! We’re now focusing on the positives – getting outside as much as possible (suggested read – Last Child in the Woods), eating healthy, cooking and eating together, and this spring we’re going to expand our veggie garden. Lots to look forward to, and hopefully enough to keep us too busy for screen time! 🙂
So true, I feel this way so often. Thanks for sharing
Wow! Very impressive and moving!way to go Mia !
You took the words right out of my mouth! Thanks for putting this down in writing; it’s inspiring!
As a grandmother I see the overstimulation and undernurishing happening to my granddaughters and I live in despair for their futures. Helpless, wishing their parents would read articles such as yours. They are good parents, wanting the best but to me they are crazy busy and without knowledge of why historically children were made to eat nourishing foods. I wonder, how did our previous generations understand the importance of such things as vegetables when they had very little (comparatively) access to nutritional value of various foods? Thanks for your writings.
We live in an instaworld where everybody wants things EASY and NOW. I think the more the word is out there the better it will be. We have evolved so much yet we are getting worse not better in some areas. We need to go back to when you ate food that was real and not in a box. Thanks for your readership and for your comment! Quite appreciated!