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Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sticks and stones can break our bones but the words can really get to us.

I recently picked out a greeting card with the following words on the front " Hear your words before you say them".  We are very used to saying things so quickly  and usually before we have thought about their impact on others. The difficulty is that once the words are heard out loud, it is really hard to take them back.
Have you written something in an email or  text  message and then realized that it could be taken wrong?
Have you ever  said something to a friend and then you don't hear from the friend again?
Do you worry that  your angry words can have a lasting impact on your children or nieces or nephews?
Probably , all of these things have happened to us at some time.



For example,I have recently started a very strict gluten free diet due to various health conditions that I have been experiencing for years. People are frequently making comments that they could never do what I am doing. They question whether or not I really need to have  such a strict diet.  Or say  don't worry it is not really that hard,  there are so many gluten free products on the market.  Sometimes, people invite me to eat special treats like dark chocolate, or special breads knowing that I just said that I could not.

In the beginning, I would take everything personally and think that everyone wanted to dismiss my  needs. I realize that many of the responses to having a dietary  restriction are in fact their own fears about what it would be like to never eat wheat bread  or have their favorite cookie again.  So when you find yourself making comments about other peoples food preferences, please be aware of your own food  issues.  It is hard enough to navigate the food world consciously, please think before you speak about what you really mean.
It is the loving and kind thing to do .For those that are gluten intolerant, please check out the following cookbook. The author is quite sympathetic to the issue and offers us delicious recipes as well.
Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free: 180 Easy and Delicious Recipes You Can Make in 20 Minutes or Less

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