Right after beginning my education at Bastyr, my righteous indignation regarding America's food supply seemed to multiply in force. All of a sudden, I felt powerless to resist the knee-jerk reactions of, “That food is horrible for you,” and “Oh my, do you know what is IN that?” As a result, I shared more than my fair share of opinions regarding “good” and “bad” foods with my defenseless family members.
It took at least a few quarters for this near “better than thou” nutrition mentality to be shamed by a refreshing voice of humility. In a field where experts often come across as haughty and self-righteous, and in which tempers flare and collars are ruffled with remarkable ease, this voice of humility was quite a shock to MY pride! This voice said that, when it comes to nutrition, it's nearly always best to just keep your mouth shut until people ask for your opinion – ESPECIALLY if the people around you know that you are studying it, know something about it, and/or just care about it.
I struggled – and still struggle – with this. At first, when I began to put this silence into practice, I felt a load lift from my shoulders, as if, all of a sudden, I didn't have to try to “fix” the problems I thought I was seeing around me. But, with the passing of time, a greater weakness revealed itself to me, in the area of keeping my responses controlled when I WAS asked for advice! Once someone asked me in an email for advice on adult acne and dairy-free sources of calcium and I nearly wrote a book in response! I loved the process of research and discovery for the sake of someone else's wellbeing – and the chance to get patted on the back, too, I suppose! – and got rather carried away with my reply.
Too much of a good thing just isn't so good any more. Nutrition advice seems to be a bit like chocolate – it's best in small bite-sized pieces. Not only can people not process information they don't want and aren't actively seeking, but the amount that can be absorbed is limited, as well. Change can't happen overnight, and is most meaningful in small amounts. How long will it take for me to get this?!
May the small steps forward continue – God willing, with compassion and humility!
I am learning the same lesson. My epiphany came last Thanksgiving when I was cooking dinner for my husband's family and his mom was asking me questions. The light bulb went off in my head that if she was asking me, she really was retaining the information, instead of me talking while she zoned out. Sometimes it's really hard to keep our mouths shut! :)
ReplyDelete