I haven't been writing, but I have been doing. I have a lot of great (terrible) excuses for not writing. The main thing is this internal debate about the pros and cons of writing about myself. Yes, I know that is the point of most blogs, but I've found it odd and difficult for a long while. I'm getting over it. I have things to say!
Backing up to Halloween. My son's school has an annual Fall Carnival that coincides with Halloween. The kids dress up and there are games - candy is the usual prize. This year, the carnival was on October 30th. Another (fabulous) mom, who has a daughter in my kid's class, approached me about doing a Minecraft themed booth. Our kids are way into the video game, books, and toys and although I don't play, it's a thing and the kids love it. A few other (awesome) moms and I got together to get crafty. We wanted the kids to have real prizes at our booth, figuring they'd get more candy than we were comfortable with anyway. I'm not crafty, so I was nervous about how I could help, but I really wanted to do this! With the guidance of the other moms, I didn't screw up too much! Here are the torches I made (under instruction and with the help of my husband!). They have glow sticks inside and my kid thought they were pretty great!
On Halloween day, I helped with my son's class party. His teacher is great and although she didn't outlaw sweet treats, she did limit it to one. I was happy when she asked me to help her think of healthier alternatives for the party! The kids had the option of one cookie, pretzels, string cheese (dressed as mummies from the fabulous mom mentioned above!) and jack-o-lantern mandarins made by my husband and myself. Check them out! This was the first time that I've had the opportunity to help out with my son's class and it was so much fun! I helped at the food station and all but two of the kids took and ate a mandarin. It was great to see them pick out which one they wanted and compare with their classmates.
Since Halloween, I've been attending all kinds of meetings. I ran for one of the positions as a parent representative on the School Site Council and we had our first meeting. Again, I was just so nervous. As a newbie, I didn't know what to expect. I had to meet new people, which always makes me anxious. It turns out, I had nothing to worry about. All the members, from the principal and teachers to the other parents, were so friendly! We even had a brief conversation after the meeting about genealogy, another of my obsessions.
I attended the Tulare County Food Desert Forum with a few other members from the Kern Food Policy Council. That was a great morning. It's so interesting to see how other regions are starting to tackle the issue of food insecurity. We learned more about UC Davis's
Mapping Regional Change and the Regional Opportunity Index (ROI). The ROI uses many economic, environmental and social indicators to create a map showing location that are in need of services. There were many more great speakers on grants/funding, non-profits bringing local produce to schools, public health and human services, and even a representative from the California Grocers Association. It was inspiring and enlightening.
Most recently, I attended this year's first District Health Council meeting. It's my first ever, since I
missed last year's. I was nervous like I was going to a job interview or on a first date. Would I remember to say the things I wanted to say? Would I make a good impression? Could I meet a dozen or so new people without feeling like I was going to pass out? When I got there, I was so pleased to see the turn-out. There were other parents (most of them parents of junior high kids), administration and PE teachers. What struck me most of all was the way that the staff treated each other and how they treated us moms and dads. They were respectful and kind and open to everything we had to say. We reviewed the Wellness Policy, the latest physical fitness test results (way better than the CA average), how the district handles bad air days (last week, the Central Valley's air quality was worse than Beijing), the procedure in place for incidences of flu, and we reviewed the excellent resources they have pulled together for the fairly new health and wellness webpage on the district's site. I was so impressed!
Moreover, they let me talk too much and meander and fumble and even politely ignored my red face when the assistant superintendent opened the meeting by saying that I was the one that pointed out that this particular policy required regular meetings to review and amend the policy. Ha! Yes, I am the one that is taking up more of your time! There's a first impression for you! Ugh. I asked if the language of some of the policy could be stronger (i.e.: don't just "encourage" staff to use non-food items as rewards, but simply ban the practice of giving candy as rewards), but at the end of the night the Council wouldn't be recommending any changes to the policy. However, there were so many great exchanges. Many staff members had concerns that were similar to my own. We discussed fundraisers (the junior high's main fundraiser is candy bar sales) and the possibility of a parent education session about the importance of good nutrition and physical activity. I left the meeting feeling really good about the communication that had taken place! Of course, it only took me about 10 minutes before I started analyzing everything and second guessing my every move. I should've said this, I should've worded that differently, and so on and so on...
*Sigh*
Lately, I've done more new things and met more new people than I have in a long time. This isn't something that's easy for me. If I'm being honest, it's difficult for me to change. On the one hand, I'm flexible and can quickly adapt within my realm of comfort. On the other hand, I'm a creature of habit and don't often stretch myself into uncomfortable circumstances.
And yet, change is what I want most. I want the world to change. I want the food system, the health culture in my community, the microcosm of my child's school, to change. I've found the thing that I am most passionate about - working toward making positive changes in both small and large ways. I can't stop caring. I can't not try. As I struggle to advocate for these changes, I also struggle with the changes that I personally must make. I have to take personal risks - speaking in front of people, meeting new people, facing rejection and on and on.
But, with every new experience, I learn something and I do change. And with every step, I see the changes being made around me. I see more people talking about food insecurity, hunger, obesity, diabetes, and the importance of the amount and the quality of food available to children and the rest of us. So, I can't give up just because I'm uncomfortable. Instead, I have to give in and try to enjoy the ride.
Next up: a field trip with my son's class to a local farm!
