Graduation Day!

So here's the thing... I stirred the pot a little bit a few weeks ago when I posted my 'Do You Want to Have Kids?' blog. I didn't really mean to create a ruckus. Ok, maybe I did. But, I honestly thought that I was in my own little world of believing in 'chosen family'.

So here we go again.

You know how people say you can't choose your family? I totally disagree. Yes, I have a crazy aunt or two, or seven, and I didn't choose them, but I find them awesome. In addition to them, I've added a few people that I think were meant to be my family.

One of them is Gaby.

For those of you who don't know our story, Gaby and I met in 2001 at the Casa Hogar Children's home in Oaxaca, Mexico. When we met, I thought we were roughly the same age (not even close, I was 19 and she was 12…) because we were fast friends.

We shared a lot of chores and projects together and she helped me with my Spanish every day. As the years went on and she was in high school, she helped Bryan and I with a meal program in the city dump. In fact, she took over delivering meals to the families while we were in the states. All the while, never falling behind on her homework, and always taking care of the girls she was responsible for.

Around the same time Gaby was getting ready to graduate from high school Bryan was looking to launch a Simply Smiles scholarship program, offering a chance to exceptional students to move to the states and pursue a college education. Gaby was the no-brainer first choice.

Five years ago, Gaby moved in with us, and after rocking the intense ESL program (which isn't true, English is actually her third language - not that I'm bragging or anything...) at Norwalk Community College, Gaby graduated with her associate's degree in business last week.  Almost five years to the day from when she arrived in the country for the first time not speaking a word of English.

I'm so proud.

I'm so happy that Gaby and I have chosen each other as family.

My house doesn't resemble a lot of other homes, but those of us who live in it (five people and one dog) know that in our own weird way, we are our own family.

Congratulations, Gaby.

Ohm.

There is a yoga class that I love to take. It's at 9:30 on Thursday mornings. (In Westport if you'd like to join me!) It's relaxing to start, kills me somewhere in the middle, reminds me that flexibility is fun, inspires me to try head stands, and then relaxes me again at the end.

I leave a bit of a sweaty mess, but feel amazingly clean, and really peaceful.

I want this peace for so many people. It's why I thought bringing yoga mats to the reservation would be a good idea. It's why I annoy Bryan to come to classes with me (I've succeeded exactly once.)

In these moments, right after leaving class, I find empathy for evangelists and fundamentalist Christians. I've met and dealt with a lot of born-again missionaries through the work that I love to do with Simply Smiles. We agree on certain things and disagree on most others.

But if what they feel about religion is as peaceful as I feel when leaving this yoga class, I can almost understand a bit better.

Replacing one hot topic with another...

I think that all world leaders need to get into yoga. And I think it will change the world. And maybe end a war or two, or all.

Peace and Just Be Nice!

(A pretty tree for you to peacefully daydream in...)

Connecticut State Troubadour!

I am so excited that for 2013-2014 I am the Connecticut State Troubadour!

'Uh, Kristen, what is that?'

It's basically the equivalent of a state's poet laureate, just a music version.

'What are you going to do?'

My responsibility is to promote the arts throughout Connecticut, and to represent Connecticut in song.

'What's next?'

I'm not sure. I'm thinking something along the lines of promoting Just Be Nice. I want to spend time and energy connecting artists of all ages with worthy service projects. I'm thinking that I could reach out to school art groups, as well as artists throughout the state. We can make a lot of good happen!

What do you think I should do?

P.S. click below to hear my CT song!

Do you want to have kids?

'Do you want to have kids?' Man, if I had a nickel for every time someone asked me that question.

If I may make a few observations...

1- I get asked that question all of the time.  Bryan is rarely asked that question.

2- So personal!

Now, about my responses.  I usually respond one of two ways:

1- 'No.' (no follow up, I just leave it at that and don't offer any additional information…)

2- I make a joke, and say something along the lines of, 'I already have hundreds of kids!'  Because of Simply Smiles, and because I don't offer any more conversation, that usually ends things.

Then people usually respond with something condescending like, 'oh, you're just not ready', or 'you'll change your mind.'

So, why am I getting cranky about this question today?  Because I'm thinking of the kids on the reservation.  Bryan, Zach, Sam, Josh, my brother and my friend, Jamie are all on the Cheyenne River Reservation, and I'm not.  And I miss the kids terribly.

And I know, I know - these kids aren't my kids.  But they are.  

Both in Mexico and in South Dakota, I have so many children that I know and love and care for.  It's a non-traditional life to say the least, and it's a different definition of family, and yet - I wouldn't have it any other way.

When Gaby graduates from Norwalk Community College on May 23, I will be cheering in the stands and taking as many pictures as she'll allow.  I couldn't be more proud of her than if she were my own.

When Juanita taught herself chess because she needed a new hobby during the long South Dakota winter, I choked up at her ambition.

When Nacho whips out his guitar at Casa Hogar and we play songs together - I tear up every time, and I can't wait to see what he's going to accomplish.

And when we lost our dear friend Tanner to suicide, it broke - shattered - my heart.  Not a day goes by that I don't think of him, cry for him and give thanks for him.

These kids are mine.

I didn't birth them, they have more family than just me, but they're my family just the same.

So that's my long answer.  And today - missing the kids on the reservation, I sang this song for them.

Enjoy your family today.  In whatever way you design 'family' to mean.

Love, Kristen

Why juice?

So these are two tweets that I sent today:

Now, you may be thinking - 'whoa, Kristen, why so pushy?'

I'll tell you why, because we almost got this law passed last spring, but because of politics and according to Gov. Malloy, Monsanto's 'first amendment rights', it didn't happen.

That's right, our governor claimed to protect the first amendment rights of companies.  I'm sorry - I didn't realize that corporations were people...

Anyway…I'm just saying that if I'm going to screw up my health, I want it to be my own fault, not because I thought I was eating one thing and not another.

In other news...I'm on another juice cleanse.  I did one about a year ago, and barely survived it.  So, I thought I was really going to have to gear up for this one.  Surprisingly, I'm loving it!  The juice tastes better to me this time around (which is true, because I'm actually using recipes now…), I feel really clear, and I think my jeans are even a bit loose!

With that, I'm also wondering if, like the first time, I'm loving it because my body is nutrient starved for the rest of the year?

I eat a pretty healthy diet.  I eat a lot of veggies, and actually even like kale, but I also love baked goods.  (Which now, you can call me on if I cheat and the baked goods are not vegan, because I tend to get a little tell-tale allergy…if you follow me on instagram you've seen it...)

So, I eat healthy, try to always buy local and organic when I can, but there are times when you just want some chips and Gaby's guacamole, you know?

So on those days - how can I be sure that I'm not eating corn chips that are pumping me full of some kind of chemical that I would never dream of ingesting otherwise?

Even organic isn't enough of a label anymore because there are so many loopholes with the FDA that there are allowances for certain genetically modified foods to still be included.  Bah humbug to these GMOs!

Now, I don't care that some nobel laureate came up with dwarf wheat in the 60's, I know that he helped a lot of people, and made wheat able to grow in smaller spaces, I care that modern wheat gives people problems now.  (Have we noticed the uptick in need for gluten free foods?)

I also care that the corn I might want to eat (I love corn in the summer!) is genetically modified to have pesticides IN IT.

That's disgusting.

And these technologies are new, so when people tell us they're completely safe…?

As a member of a family that has had some cancer scares in the past, I'm very careful about what I put in my body, and I annoyingly read labels, but I would just like to have labels that spell it out, you know, in plain English.

I'd like a label that actually says something instead of 'all natural'.

And then I can make a choice.  If I choose to go with the unhealthy choice, I know what I'm doing, and if I choose to go with the healthy choice - I know that I'm actually getting what I think I'm getting.

Man, it must have been nice 50 years ago when food was actually food.

Call your congressman and happy weekend! Kristen

ps…for real - want to help Connecticut be the first state to pass a GMO labeling law?  You can!!

This is the info from the Connecticut Right to Know website:

Call Representative Sharkey today at 860-240-8500 or 1-800-842-1902.

Representative Brendan Sharkey, the Speaker of the House, is currently blocking HB 6519 from moving ahead in the legislative process and preventing you from knowing what is in your food.

Representative Sharkey is placing corporate interests above the rights of the people and is not even trying to hide it. In his responses to your e-mails, this is what he says:

“I’m adamantly opposed to CT being the only state to do so. We’re simply too small. To be the only state in the country that requires labeling will have huge, negative impacts on our economy and will perpetuate our image as being business-unfriendly.”

His statements are not founded in truth, GMO labeling will have absolutely no impact on our economy and he knows it.

If you want the right to know what is in your food call Speaker Sharkey today and tell him stop blocking HB 6519. 860-240-8577 or 1-800-842-1902.