Food Leadership

Eating a grape that came as nature made it, full of two or three tiny seeds, I suddenly recalled the seedless white grapes that I usually buy in the stores in the US. I througt about a video I saw recently on genetically modified corn. This corn had been altered to prevent it from reseeding itself. Without their seeds, fruits and grains do not reproduce. That means that individuals, including farmers, have to purchase new seed or plants each season. Therefore, the person or corporation controlling the seed, controls the plant and the availability of food. It is not hard to imagine the global scale consequences of a food supply based on seedless grain and fruits.



You and I can make a difference. Let us consciously purchase fruits with their seeds inside. Yes, a seedless grape or melon is easier to serve and eat in the short run. But next time you have a choice, choose fruits that contain the fantastic seeds of life. Likewise, ask your grocer to stock only products containing non genetically modified corn, wheat and soy. Exercising food leadership will help ensure a healthier, more productive life for all of us.

Invitation.

Are you an environmental leader or are you lagging behind a bit? Which and why?

In recent weeks I have met small business owners who have taken aggressive action to reduce their use of gasoline and electricity, doing their part to reduce green house gas emissions.

I have met parents who know they should do something but are waiting until they can answer the question "what is in it for me?"

I have also met people who think global warming is a joke. All have reasons for doing what they do.

I invite you to participate in a non-judgmental dialogue on global warming and other environmental topics that may be on your mind.

There is only one rule:

Express your views in a way that is respectful of everyone else. That means without name-calling, profanity, or other inappropriate remarks.

Global Climate Change.

In the time of Columbus, most people believed the earth was flat. They were wrong.

Today, many people believe Global Climate Change is unreal. They are wrong.

Learn more, free. http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/earthandsun/climate_change.html


and become an advocate for right information in your community.

Then post your experience on this blog so that others can follow your example.

Leaders Conquer Fear by Taking Action.

Your heart is racing, you cool hands are clammy, and sweat drips down your armpits like water from a leaky faucet. Perhaps you feel a headache or nausea coming on. You are afraid. Maybe the problem is too much month and not enough money; maybe it is a new task at work, or perhaps your teenager just told you she is pregnant. The first step in regaining self control is to recognize the fear; just say to yourself, "I am aware of feeling afraid." Then take a few deep breaths and say,"I am aware that I am not the fear and the fear is not me." Remind yourself, "I am in harmony with life and adequate to this situation." By a few simple actions to control your thoughts, you will be on your way to conquering fear and making room for creative learning and constructive problem solving.

In the book, "Who Dares Wins: The Green Beret Way to Conquer Fear and Succeed," author Bob Mayer says, "Fear is the number one barrier that keeps you rooted in the mundane and ordinary." You deserve to live free, to embrace challenges and see the opportunity in every appearance of adversity. Such living is not wishful thinking, it is choice. Leaders conquer fear by taking action; you are a leader. Correct your outlook to activate the power within you.

I invite you to share your experience with other readers on this blog.

Step Up to Democracy.

"Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country."

John F. Kennedy's words reverberate in my mind as I consider health care coverage for those without it and our collective exploitation of the air, water, gound and each other for selfish gain. Democracy, in its highest sense, requires each of us to act not out of individual interest but out of a desire to promote the common good.

I feel as if all of the people of the developed world stand at the same crossroad; we are wondering if we dare silence the little "me" and embrace the larger "we." Individually we feel afraid to ask what we can do for our country or the world because we know the answer leads to the unfamilar ground of collective good. If I don't share with you, there appears to be more for me. Yet deep inside we know that when one is in need, all are in need. When one is unsafe, all are unsafe. When one is hungry, all are in danger of hunger. I don't need three slices of bread when two are quite enough and you will divide your one into four.

The call of the forefathers and foremothers is strong. I must stand up for you. The cost will be high and I may pass through death enroute to eternal life without seeing the fruit. Yet I know that the selfless spirit of the republic lives in the beating heart of human beings and not on the balance sheet of organizations.

What I can do for my country is give time that I do not have to leaders who may not listen as I voice my vote for your health, our planet, and our collective good.

What can you do? You are welcome to share your thoughts here.

Leading Change.

My mother said, "While we are sleeping, eating, and passing gas, our country is being stolen from us." She referred to the non-American ownership of her favorite restaurants and food stores, specifically, the Japanese ownership of Carrow's Family Restaurants and the British ownership of Fresh & Easy, a neighborhood grocery store.

Like many Americans, my 79 year old mother wants most of her expenditures to help American businesses during these strained economic times. What she did not realize is that foreign-owned companies are usually indistinguishable from home grown businesses. However, by changing her shopping and dining habits, she can be sure her money supports and strengthens domestic companies. So can you.

1. Dine at a neighborhood coffee shop or restaurant that is not part of a chain. If you are unsure, ask.

2. Purchase fresh fruits and veggies from a local farmer's market whenever possible and ask your grocer to stock locally grown produce and meat and dairy products from independently owned farms.

3. Choose to spend your money with the small, independent businesses in your neighborhood. Pay your local tailor to refurbish a suit or mend a sweater rather than buying a new one from a large department store.

A personal story: I recently took an oil painting to my neighborhood 1-man art store for an estimate of the charge to make a mat and frame. He quoted me $230. I saved the money and had him do the work. The job is beautiful and higher quality than a chain would provide. That is not all. I learned that during the economic downturn, this framer (a Columbian native now American citizen) had considered closing his little shop. Instead, he decided to see if he could generate new business by mentoring and providing exhibit space for emerging local artists. Six months later, his tiny storefront business is growing, he holds regular art shows featuring local artists and established customers now look to him for artistic recommendations as well as for framing. Our community is enriched.

You can strengthen your community and the economy one thoughtful purchase at a time.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu

Tiny Step Leadership.

The smallest effort matters when fueled by unselfish love.

A photographer is teaching low income, neglected kids how to see through the eyes of a camera. Himself without adeqate income, healthcare access and the food many of us take for granted, he works with passion, love keeps him full.

A writer/psychologist offers to put stories to photos of Cuban-American families separated by a US policy that narrowly defines family and limits visits to family members living in Cuba to once every three years, no exceptions. She does not charge the photographer. She writes from love and compassion.

A sociology professor is funded by his university to do a project on families. He unselfishly invites the writer/psychologist to share his grant and deepens the study of the families.

A project, called "Love, Loss and Longing" is born. Its brief stories and candid pictures of families torn asunder by heartless politics becomes a memorable tool in the Latin American Working Group and the Washington Office on Latin America's efforts to end the policy.

In tiny leadership steps repeated all across the United States, individuals write their elected officials, write to their newspapers, educate themselves and others about the US policy on Cuban American families. One by one, drip by drip, the voices make a difference.

Now, for the first time in four years, a jetliner flies directly from Los Angeles International Airport to Havana. Americans anxious to visit their family members living in Cuba can.

New political leadership in Washington, D.C. recognized that keeping family members apart was wrong. But the willingness to act on that awareness came at the end of a long line of tiny leadershp actions taken by individuals driven by love.

Always remember, you matter and your smallest leadership steps make a difference.

Would you share your story of a tiny step in leadership ?