Happy Labor Day Weekend!
This weekend our family will be celebrating my dad’s 82nd birthday. When asked what he wants for his birthday, he says 40 or 60 acres in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I find that interesting because I would also love 40 or 60 acres in the U.P. (that is what us Michiganders call the Upper Peninsula).
So, my dad has reached the wonderful age of 82 and he still has big wishes that need to be fulfilled. I wonder, will I be 82 and still wishing for my big wishes in life?
How is it that some people get their big wishes fulfilled and others live their whole life withing for the things they want more than anything else?
To give some background about our family and to give some reference to how important the U.P. of Michigan to us, let me share some things.
When I was born, my paternal grandparents bought a large piece of property in the U.P., 1,000 acres. It was the last piece of property on the road and what was a very long driveway (a two track) into the property. After that long driveway into the woods, sat the house that was a log home that was built by hand and was over 115 years old when my grandparents bought the place. Our family lovingly called it ‘The Farm’.
Pictured above: The Farm
Every holiday weekend, (memorial, 4th of July and Labor Day) our family, and my dad’s brother’s family would go to the farm and have a big family fun time. We also went to the farm for most of our vacations and us grandkids got to spend even more time there often. My grandparents had horses, dogs and at one time cows also. They also had some big equipment, a backhoe, large tractors and an Internation Scout Jeep. All these things were what I grew up with, tractors, horses, being way out in the woods, driving down two track roads, and all kinds of fun stuff such as this. To this day, I still love all of that stuff.
My dad loved this! And my brother, my sister and I inherited this love of the U.P., the woods, and the wilderness.
My grandfather passed away when I was 10 years old. Grandma slowly sold off pieces of the property throughout the years and when she eventually sold it, it was still over 500 acres. Yes, my family was devastated when she sold it. I think it deeply upset my dad to lose this incredible piece of beautiful land that meant so much to his dad.
My dad has always wanted a piece of property in the U.P. I have always wanted a piece of property in the U.P. Why do we spend our lives wanting something and it never come to pass? Maybe we do not take that giant leap of faith and just do it? Or maybe we just do not have the finances to afford our dreams?
Since my grandmother sold the farm, I have traveled all over the U.P. I have camped in many places and also stayed in little cabins in the woods. Nothing has stopped me from going to the U.P. However, growing up with having a family home to go to whenever you want to, is very much different than having to find a place to rent and stay.
There was just something about the farm. It always felt like home to me. In some ways it felt more like home to me then the family home I grew up in. And there was a feeling of being safe at the farm. I think it was because our family would get together there, and we had a close family. Our family was not perfect, but we did have a loving family that were always there for each other. My fondest memories are being at the farm.
How does this tie into health? You may be asking yourself as you read this. Health is not just about the food you eat (although that is very important). Health is about our thoughts, feelings, emotions and living a fulfilling life. We can live a healthy lifestyle but if we have a dream that is unfulfilled it will be like a thorn in your side, always there and reminding you it is there.
You can have a dream of something in your life and you want it to be fulfilled. However, after many, many years of it not coming to fruition, it then turns in to stress. Or worse yet, it can just be depressing.
My dad is the best man I know. He is the best dad. He deserves his dream fulfilled. If I was rich, he would already have his 60 acres in the U.P.
Think about how it would feel to have a dream and be 82 years old and it is still not fulfilled. This really got me thinking and I wanted to write about it.
I hope everyone has some dream they want to fulfill in their lives. And the ones who have fulfilled their dreams, write about it and share how you accomplished it to help others on their paths.
To stay positive and to help keep yourself healthy, keep reaching for your dreams and never give up! And do something fun this holiday weekend. Do what you LOVE and you will LOVE the way you feel!
Thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate all the support and interest in living a healthy lifestyle. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber to help support my work.
The best way to learn about healthy, whole foods cooking is to attend a cooking class. I have been teaching for 26 years.
Upcoming Cooking Classes:
Outdoor Grilling Class (rescheduled from July) - Last Grilling Class of 2023
Wed. September 6 -- 5:30 to 8:00 PM (ET)
in person or virtual - $60.00 (in person) $50.00 (virtual)
These are the most popular classes of the year. Cooking outside while learning the health benefits of whole food in a relaxed atmosphere. Enjoy fun, interactive cooking, discussion of health topics and you get to eat the food that is created in class.
Learn tips and the best cooking techniques for cooking vegan, whole foods on the grill. Menu: Grilled Marinated Portobello 'Steak 'Mushrooms with Salisbury Sauce, served over Pressed Grilled Millet Fries and Grilled onions, plus Grilled Carrot Fries with Special Spicy Sauce and a surprise recipe cooked over an open fire.
Garden Vegetable Dishes Cooking Class
SATURDAY, September 23 -- 12:00 (noon) to 1:30 PM (ET)
Virtual - $35.00
Garden abundance is here! I will be teaching two unique dishes featuring a Dill Dressing and a Butternut Squash Dressing. Each recipe is a complete meal by itself. One features long grain brown rice and the other features millet. Plus a variety of vegetables fresh from the garden.
This hour and a half class will be on a Saturday during the day for everyone who cannot make the evening classes.
If you cannot attend the class at the scheduled time, you can always purchase the recording.
Info and to purchase one of my 6 cookbooks:
https://www.macroval.com/index.html