My mother was full of idioms. She had one for any and every situation. Although she was a very positive person, she did have a skeptical side. I remember her saying, “I just take it with a grain of salt!” on many, many occasions.
This expression has a few meanings:
• To understand that something is not entirely accurate or right*
• Not take something too seriously*
• Accept, but with some reservations or skepticism*
• Don’t precisely believe something*
“This great expression, although an ancient one, was not used in its current meaning till much later. It is said that Pliny the Elder translated an ancient antidote for poison in 77 A.D., which recommends taking the antidote with a grain of salt. In its current meaning, however, it has been used since the 1600s. The pinch of salt variant came much later, around the mid-1900s.” *
A pinch of salt makes almost anything go down easier… Remember, before elections, all parties make a lot of promises which I believe, as my mother would say, should be taken with a grain of salt.
Let’s face it. Almost everyone has an opinion and is eager to share it with us. You can “google” any topic and will be bombarded in fractions of a millisecond more information than you can absorb. And, there will be pro’s as well as cons to answers to your research. Thus, here is where you and your right sense enter.
Do your research. Read the fine print. Investigate precisely where the author of information gleaned his information. I will use myself as an example. I was raised on a tobacco farm in Sampson County NC. At the age of thirty-two, I enrolled in the local community college in the Registered Nursing Program. I practiced nursing for more than forty years in various fields and specialties. Today I am 74.8 years old and have lots of varied experience under my belt. I do not, however, hold any certifications or licenses in anything other than nursing. That is not to say I don’t have an opinion on a myriad of subjects! And, healthy eating is one of my soapboxes.
But, don’t take my word for anything healthy. Search it out for yourself. The Book of Proverbs is filled with practical wisdom for the affairs of life, and King Solomon tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5 KJV. I don’t believe Solomon meant we should shift our brain cells into neutral before making decisions. Peter said, “…be of sound judgment.” 1 Peter 4:7 Amplified Bible. In other words, we are instructed to use good common sense.
You still have a choice. You may decide to take the effort to eat all organic, non-GMO. You may determine this is not for you. I do firmly believe though that we are what we eat. So, back to my original point; “Take it with a grain of salt!”
Pat Throckmorton, January 23, 2018
*From http://www.theidioms.com
You may have read The Tipping Point, written by Malcolm Gladwell in 2002. In this book, the author explains to us how little things can make a big difference. Epidemic, virus, contagious behavior all contribute to the failure or success of an idea. Accordingly, it is with healthy eating.
The word contagious conjures up all sorts of notions of measles, chicken-pox, HIV, influenza, and colds. But this word does not have to have only negative connotations. It can have positive ramifications as well.
Gladwell says there are three characteristics necessary to create a tipping point: contagiousness, the fact that little causes can have big effects, and that change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment. Kind of like the way a flu epidemic spreads. Would that we could create the same effect with organic, non-GMO, healthy eating.
Locating these healthy foods is not as severe as in the past. Locally, in Perquimans County, North Carolina we can shop at Food Lion, Walmart, and Farm Fresh grocery stores. More recently, these chains have added organic, non-GMO foods. However, there is still a way to go. The store managers appear willing to add more of these items to their shelves but their warehouses, not so eager. It is all about which items move the fastest and brings in the most dollars.
A true God-send to us locally is a thriving Farmers Market where many vendors market their certified organic foods. Here you may purchase root vegetables (onions, sweet and white potatoes, turnips, carrots, beets, etc.), a variety of fruits, leafy greens, and other organic items. You can also purchase free-range eggs, and many types of meat that is grain fed, pasture raised and absent of pesticides, poisons, hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals.
Gladwell also talks about a “stickiness factor.” He uses Wendy’s, “Where’s the Beef” slogan and R.J. Reynold’s Winston Cigarette slogan, “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.” Can we come up with a sticky note, a catchy slogan to promote organic, non-GMO’s? Something that will stick? Something that will make one think healthy eating each and every time we hear it? After all, stickiness is critical to tipping!
Together, we can create a “tipping point” for healthy eating. Let’s start an epidemic! We can move en masse. However, it must be a concentrated, thought-provoked effort. Please, consider joining the movement to create a healthy America for our children, the older generation, and ourselves. We owe it to the future of our environment and the future good health of generations to come.
Every year, the parents of 15, 700 children will hear the words, “your child has cancer.” I am unable to locate any statistics that tell us how many children were diagnosed with cancer in the 1950’s, although there is information there about the survival rates and how much that has improved over the last 25 years. My point is that I don’t remember personally knowing any child with cancer when I was growing up. Now, I am 75 years old, so that was a while ago. But… something changed. What was it?!
What, about the way we live today, has changed so dramatically? Our FOOD! It is processed and additive-ed to death… to OUR DEATH!
Just look at one ingredient that is added to almost every food product, and that is high fructose corn syrup. It is in everything – even foods that aren’t necessarily intended to be sweet.
Some Dangers of High fructose corn syrup:
• Weight Gain
• Cancer
• Increased Cholesterol Levels
• Diabetes
• High Blood Pressure
• Heart Disease
• Leaky Gut Syndrome
• Increased Mercury Intake
And, this is just ONE ingredient we never knew the dangers of. But we do understand the risks of ingesting herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones, and goodness knows what else. If you read the ingredients label, for example, on General Mills products; many of them you cannot pronounce and have no idea what they are. Neither do we know whether they are safe for human consumption. So, what is one to do? STOP purchasing these items. Buy only whole foods. But even then, you must be extremely careful. The label on anything you are buying must say something to the effect of the following: organic, non-GMO, antibiotic, hormone, pesticide, herbicide free. And, then, you STILL may not be protected from hidden ingredients. But you will feel better and more empowered in safely feeding your family healthy foods.
Protect your loved ones; your children, your parents, and grandparents; those who are ill. Good Luck!!!
I don’t want to give you so much info you will be bored and stop reading. Or think it is just too broad or a waste of your time. Learning about GMO’s is critical to yours and the health of your loved ones, especially the children and younger folks, and the elderly.
Here is a brief, down and dirty definition/description of GMO’s.
A GMO is the result of a laboratory process where genes from the DNA of one species are extracted and artificially forced into the genes of an unrelated plant or animal. Now, this is when it gets interesting: the foreign genes may come from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even human. These invisible ingredients added to your food are what we are concerned with.
The FDA does not require labeling of ingredients present in the vast majority of processed foods. These same components are banned in Europe and elsewhere. So, if you eat processed foods, beware. You may not have a clue what you are consuming.
The argument for using gmo’s is that it attempts to increase nutritional benefits or productivity. However, the two main traits that have been added so far are herbicide tolerance and the ability of the plant to produce its own pesticide. Stop and let that sink in for a minute. The GMO you are consuming is spiked with herbicides and pesticides!!! Not to mention hormones, antibiotics, and other poisonous ingredients! Yet our own government turns a blind eye to this as they accept mega dollars under the table.
You may not be aware, but herbicide tolerance lets the farmer spray weed-killer directly on the crop without killing it. Pesticides are produced inside plants. These kills or deters insects, saving the farmer from having to spray pesticides. The plants themselves are toxic, and not just to insects. Farmers in India, who let their sheep graze on Bt cotton plants after the harvest, saw thousands of sheep die! So, imagine what is happening inside your body and that of the ones you love dearly, especially our children.
In an effort to get back to my blog page, the Enchanted Fishbowl, I have searched my mind for something worthy to write about. I ruled out politics immediately as such discussion does nothing but divide friends and family. I ruled out religion as there are more religious avenues out there than I have dishes in my cabinet.
I think I will start with healthy eating and I will be anxious to hear your comments.
I couldn’t believe I did that! I looked at the map of the area I had just drawn. It was a map of the neighborhood in which I lived in my early childhood years. Sure enough, there, in bold, number-2 lead pencil, were etched two houses, much larger than all the other tiny little squares on the map. They stood out like colossal structures; these were the homes of my cousin Bertha and my friend Sarah.
I always felt not quite as good as they or the other children I played with. I guess I blamed these feelings on lack of material things. Much later, in my middle years, I would recognize the true reasons neighbors whispered behind my back and peers shunned my presence.
Like opening the lock on a dam, the memories began to flow. How interesting to look at the map and see the disproportionate size of these two houses that I subconsciously drew. I was amazed at how they compared to all the others in this, the area of my origin. It rekindled the feelings I had through childhood, adolescence and even into adulthood; the feelings of being poor, of not being on the same social standing as my peers; the embarrassment I would feel wearing homemade and hand-me-down clothes.
Somewhere I read that an exercise such as drawing a physical map of where one had lived would open floodgates of memories. What an understatement! Am I brave enough to write the truth as I remember it? Am I brave enough even to recall the memories of my childhood years? Do you suppose anyone would believe them anyway? Perhaps I will proceed, knowing I can never tell it all…
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod, the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. When Herod, the king, had heard these things, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where the Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule my people, Israel. Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.” Matthew 1:1-7 KJV
“For we have seen his star…” This star may not have appeared as we look upon the sky today and see God’s handiwork. Rather it may have been a splendor or radiance, a brilliance that appeared to the Magi as a star. They saw this extraordinary star, of which they had not seen before. They took this to mean an extraordinary person was to be born in the land of Judea, over which this star, someone said, was seen to hover, in the lower regions of the air. Whatever appearance it had, it was surely created by God.
In his commentary, Matthew Henry wrote, “Arabia is called the land of the east and the Arabians are called men of the east. The presents they brought were the products of that country; the Arabians had done homage to David and Solomon as types of Christ; that Jethro and Job were of that country; that they were kings.”
The Eastern Magi, most likely astronomers, believed a star would rise in the east shining in great brightness. Herod, having learned the expected birthplace of the Messiah, sent for the Magi and questioned them in great depth as to the exact location. Do not confuse Astrology with astronomy. Astrology is the study and use of the sun, moon, stars etc. to predict the future. Astronomy is the study of God’s handiwork outside the earth’s atmosphere. Astronomy does not go against Scripture, rather, it complements it as can be read in Psalm 8:3 KJV: “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained…”
“And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” Matthew 2:8-10 KJV
The Zohar, a Hebrew word meaning Splendor or Radiance, is a literary work of Jewish mystical thought and includes commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah. One passage reads, “A star will rise in the east which is the star of the Messiah, and will remain in the east fifteen days.” When the star appeared they rejoiced with joy unspeakable!
Although there is no mention of how many Wise Men or Kings there were, the assumption is that there were three, based on the fact of the three gifts: 1) gold, 2) frankincense, and 3) myrrh. Today, the 12th day of Christmas, January 6th is Old Christmas Day or Epiphany. It is a Christian festival, this historical day, in which the Wise Men, these distinguished foreigners were the first religious figures to worship the infant Jesus Christ.
“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:11 KJV
The Magi, after paying court to the Messiah, and presenting Him with gifts (as all Easterners did when they came before princes or the great) received a warning in a dream from above to return to their own country without reporting back to Herod.
“And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.” Matthew 2:12 KJV
No other mention is made of the three Kings or their countrymen; their purpose had been served. What is important is that they did not question the meager cottage where they found the Christ child and His mother, Mary. They did not question, “Is this babe the King of the Jews, the Savior of the world?” Rather, they fell down and worshipped Him. These Wise Men were so wise as to see beyond this veil to the hidden message.
Eternal GOD, this holy season shines forth with the brilliance of the Gift of YOUR SON. May the hope and peace represented by HIS birth live in our hearts forever; may the joy HE brings to our hearts inspire us to share the Good News. Thank YOU for YOUR SON and the multitude of blessings we enjoy every day. In JESUS name I pray, Amen.
The following is an excerpt from my soon to be released novel Sticks and Stones.
The year is 2000! The world didn’t come to an end at midnight on December 31, 1999 as predicted by the naysayers. I read somewhere that in the 20th century nearly 400 million lives were lost to wars, genocide and mass murders. We also, in that century saw development of the greatest technologies the world had known. Science, physics, biology turned quite evolutionary. What a blessing just to be alive!
“On The First Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave to Me…” tune was running through my head as I maneuvered the dense traffic on US Highway 13, heading home after a taxing work day. It was January 5 and Old Christmas Eve. My mind drifts backward to 1949 when I was six years old:
I am sitting at my mother’s knee while she patiently removes the brown paper sack wrappers that cause my brunette curls to bounce softly on my shoulders. I am picking-teasing-playing with my baby sister, Pam, who is four years old and is sitting on Mama’s lap. She is as usual in a pout, with her bottom lip thrust outward. She pulls and tugs at each curl my Mama unwinds, but I don’t mind because I love my baby sister passionately.
Mama is recounting the story of Old Christmas… how, way back in the days of Julius Caesar the Roman year was organized around the phases of the moon… and how, before the calendar was reformed, England celebrated Christmas on the 6th of January and that is why in some parts of Great Britain, people still call the day Old Christmas. It makes no sense at all to my sister or me as we are enchanted solely with our Mama’s voice and what a good storyteller she is.
We feel a particular excitement this night because we expect Santa will be back to leave a small token gift in recognition of just what good little girls we assuredly are. All at once Mama became quiet, placing her pointing finger softly over her lips signaling us to be quiet. She gently picked up the glass kerosene oil lamp and held it near the window, turning the wick up a bit to increase the intensity of the flame for better visibility. The heat from the lamp left a kind of halo-rainbow effect on the frosty window pane. Suddenly, there he was! We were able only to catch a glimpse, but without a doubt we knew, we just knew this was Santa Claus!
January 6, twelve days after Christmas Day is the Day of Epiphany, epiphany is Greek for “appearance.” January 5 is the Eve of Epiphany. Most Christian faiths believe it was this precise night over 2000 years ago that the Three Wise Men found the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. The 12th day of Christmas then is in commemoration of the day in which Jesus appeared to the Gentiles as our Savior.
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