After having my entire life come crashing down with the loss of both parents, a broken marriage, loss of a job and a house within a six month period with no one to turn to is the most devastating experience one can go through. The way I saw it, I had two choices, I could either be bitter and miserable or I could see it as a new beginning. I chose the latter.
I decided to listen to my gut feeling or the small voice within that speaks to us in subtle ways. I kept getting the hunch that enrolling in a cooking school seemed like the right thing to do. I enrolled in the full time chef training program at The Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health. I learned to prepare an array of delicious, mainly vegetarian food with all organic ingredients. This was the beginning of a food journey that I gravitated towards like a drug. Once I tasted the vast flavors and textures, there was no turning back. Good wholesome food became my best friend. It not only supplied me with the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that my body craved but it also gave me a reason to keep going forward. And forward I went. I did my internship at an organic deli where I remained for three months. I was in charge of preparing the salads and doing the baking. The next time the voice spoke to me is when I saw an ad for a chef at a small yoga retreat. I got the hunch right then and there that it would be the next move for me. I had the owners come by and sample my cooking and got offered the position. The owner, a yoga instructor, was giving a teacher training. I decided to sign up and add the spiritual component to what seemed like a gathering of healing modalities. Around the same time, I became interested in holistic nutrition and began a certificate program on line which I am in the process of completing.
The journey continues with twists and turns along an unmarked road off the beaten path. I don’t know what may be in store next, but I can assure you that I will be listening for that small voice within.
