Perspective

It's all in the way we look at things that shapes our paths. I have been thinking a lot lately about the vision behind the co-op we are launching and the impact it will have on the surrounding community. I am also envisioning the kinds of people that will be drawn to the project and what will motivate them to get involved.

There will be obvious benefits from being either a consumer member or business member of our co-op and with the existing economy many folks will be seeking to join in search of savings. But I also think we will be attracting others who are seeking a different way of life. There are those out there much like ourselves who are more willing to pay the price for organic, local foods that are more sustainable - even if it means cutting down in other areas of our lives.

The idea of growing our own local economy and building community is of utmost importance. We are buying into the vision of a different way of life and the cost may have an initial price tag attached. Nnetheless, we beleive that in the long run the benefits reaped will be ultra cost-effective and manifest a better quality of life. The choices we make today will pave the way for future generations to follow.

Those of us who have been paying for organic food all along already have a more realistic price of the true cost of food. For others, the increasing food costs predicted over the course of 2008 and coupled with fuel costs might come as a shock to the budget.

Being that our family spends probably over 50% of our annual budget on food (including supplements, body care & home cleaning products), I have been surprised to discover how little most families actually allocate to this most essential "piece of the pie".

I was skimming a copy of a mainstream magazine that targets a more simplistic way of life and it outlined one moms monthly budget of $7,100. I was astonished to see that the amount spent on food was way less than the cable bill, pampering fees and entertainment costs. That amount excluded the outrageous cost of daycare and au paire services. The main concern for this mom was figuring out how to pay for private schools, and most likely a private school more concerned with what is being put into kids heads - not into their mouths.

I think this is a common theme for most moms today. We have settled for empty, packaged, processed food that is incapable of nourishing both body and soul. Food, the fuel that feeds both the bodies and minds of our growing children, is not valued with utmost importance. Children of today are developing substandard to the children of generations past - during a time where they need more strength than ever before to fast the challenges of the future.

The connection between health and diet is overlooked. Instead our culture connects more with the idea of over-medicating and over-consuming. The same magazine featured an ad by Target now offering color coded medications to help family members identify their personalized perscriptions. How insane is this? Yes, Target, we are a culture on drugs misled by savy marketing tactics like yours to convince the masses whose minds have been numbed that being "drugged" isn't such a bad thing! I say throw away the meds, turn off the tv and feed your children some food with real nutritional value. Now that's simplifying the budget.