When people say “live a little”, what they are often suggesting is “die a little”. “Live a little” came up in conversation recently relative to someone I know who’s parent has been suffering from arthritis for many years. “Live a little” is often what’s said before people try to get us to do something that is obviously or likely not a wise choice. I didn’t have a chance to get into any detail about healing or preventing arthritis, and just about every chronic disease via the “right” diet, healthy motion and mental focus on positive desires, the idea of “dying a little” came to mind.

I’m not particularly interested in living only a “little”. We deserve more. The irony of “live a little” is that it typically refers to eating or drinking “garbage” that gives a very short lived pleasure and when this becomes a habit tends to be a root cause of much pain, expense and misery. Or, “live a little” references any number of physically lazy or mindless ideas taken too far.

Why not live a lot?

The above paragraphs recently popped up on my Facebook feed from five years ago. I don’t recall who I’d spoken too, but little has changed in five years. People change slowly, sometimes the “right” direction, other times not. At times I still attempt to help people heal or avoid pain and misery with solid ideas rooted in logic, vast amounts of anecdotal evidence and volumes of credible peer reviewed science. Responses are often perceived as “victim blaming”, frustration, or anger directed at the messenger. There are many strategies that can be employed to reach people’s minds and hearts. When the student is ready, the teacher will be there. The question in my mind is; what can we do to inspire the student to be ready to learn?

Ruth Heidrich, author of “A Race For Life” really answered my questions about diet and prompted my initial and complete commitment to consuming only plant based foods mid Dec. of 2010. I now look around and see the majority inadvertently in a “Race For Death”. It’s crazy. Like Ruth says, “we’ve lost our way”. I’ve tried to pay forward what Ruth taught me. This is a long process most of the time. People generally seem to think the cliff is not really there. Ruth was my teacher when I was finally ready. Often times I need to remember how much pain and time needed to pass before I was finally ready to be the student.

It’s easy to slip into the “live a little” mindset. But occasional treats and awards of less than healthy foods and actions can have us slipping into a downward spiral. The irony is that “living a lot” can mean giving up many comforts. Being imperfect is OK of course, but with some awareness and discipline. It’s not greedy to aspire to live with abundance. How we define abundance may change over time to things and experiences far less materialistic or ego driven.

I struggle with trying to decide when to challenge people to become the ready student. And if we see somebody headed for a cliff, should we not at least try to warn them? Is it a moral obligation to risk personal discomfort and rejection to try and help others?

Generally what I sense is that old habits and economic forces keep most people “hooked” on self destructive habits, living only a little. Clearly the food industry has great pull with politicians, the FDA and USDA. Business interests tend to be put before the citizens and voters interests. This is where we are. It’s clear to me the moneyed interests are a huge factor in the “preventable” health care crisis. Most chronic diseases can be healed or prevented with a simple, affordable mostly whole foods all plant based “diet”.

Very similar factors play into why most people are wearing shoes that not only mess up their feet, but over time can put many muscles in their body out of balance, leading to biomechanical issues. People lose their mobility, move less and and that in my opinion is a serious factor is many people’s downward spiral to ill health.

Generally, I simply hope people will find my blogs and videos when they are ready. Attempting to set an example may be the best approach most of the time. Sometimes I’d try to say just enough to get people interested in doing their own research, so they can feel like the changes were their idea. Maybe I suggest a book, documentary, vlog or one of my own videos or blogs.

Wearing my thin, minimalist sandals often is a great conversation starter. This can open the door for blending topics such as running and nutrition. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’ve long been so into helping Xero Shoes grow their business. They are doing things right in my contrarian opinion. When so many people are unwell, being contrarian in footwear and nutrition makes rational sense!

Why run a little when you can run a lot? Why laugh a little when you can laugh a lot? Why eat a little junk, when you get fully satiated on a lot of whole plant based foods? Why feel just OK, when you can feel great? Live Life Feet First. Live A Lot!

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