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Musings on 2009

For my first post in a new year, I like to indulge in a little bit of reflection.

January 6 brought the one-year anniversary of the release of my cookbook, Glorious One-Pot Meals coverGlorious One-Pot Meals, from Broadway Books (a Random House imprint). After all has been said and done, it appears that I’ve sold about 10,000 copies this year. Not bad, considering I’m not a “celebrity chef” and don’t have a show on the Food Network… yet!

In 2009, I received 52 mostly favorable reviews on my Amazon book page; gave more than 50 cooking demonstrations, classes, workshops, as well as numerous presentations on publishing and social media on local and national stages; appeared in the press at least 10 times (including Good Housekeeping magazine in India!); and got on television about a dozen times.

In it’s third year now, this blog has grown to receive more than 5,000 unique visitors each month, and I’ve found that I have a beautiful, supportive group of subscribers, too.

I made it to 121 Jazzercise classes in 2009, as well as to around a dozen Michael Jackson dance classes, belly dancing, and pole dancing classes. Along with eating right (and lots of GOPMs!), this all helped me to lose 17 lbs. last year, and go from a size 6 to a size 0 or 2.

Oh yes, and I turned 40, too. My husband of ten years threw a fabulous surprise birthday party for me to celebrate the milestone. (The biggest surprise was that he organized something all by himself!)  🙂

But the numbers don’t tell it all. For me, it has been a year of wonderful emails from readers all over the world who are enjoying the unique infusion method of cooking Glorious One-Pot Meals. GOPMs have been prepared in Iceland, Australia, Canada, Italy, England, and France, that I know of.

Emailers tell me they feel better, have lost weight, eat in more often, eat together more often,and have expanded their food repetoire with new ingredients and flavors. They tell me how excited they are to have found such a quick and easy way to cook.

It’s these comments from readers like you that keep me going and convince me that I’m on the right path to help others eat well and feel better.

Please forgive me if it takes me forever to respond to you directly — I tend to fall behind on emails and they can get loss in the morass of my inbox. Rest assured that I received it and appreciated the effort to connect! I try to be more timely about responding to comments posted here on the blog.

It has been a tough year, too. My first mammogram found a suspicious lump which had to be biopsied. I was attacked by people offended by my patent on a cooking technique or who thought they knew better than I how my method should work.  I unsuccessfully courted three organizations I felt were aligned with my values and mission to invite them to partner with me.

I’ve often felt this last year that my life consisted of racing from place to place, yet still I was always dreadfully behind. Too much to do and not enough time to do it.

Last month, my MS doctor told me that no matter what I do or how well I’m faring now, I still have an 80% chance of ending up in a wheelchair by the time I’m 65. Talk about depressing, even though I know that I’m not the “average” multiple sclerosis patient in my lifestyle and awareness of health and I tell myself that those odds don’t apply to me. Although my latest MRI shows no new signs of inflammation in my brain or spine, it’s hard not to let stats like that put a damper on life.

By far, the most successful thing I’ve done this year has been determining that multiple food sensitivities were the cause behind my son’s chronic constipation, and then finding the right path toward bringing him into a healthy state. I haven’t discussed this very much yet, but I’m ready to start sharing the story with you this year.

Thanks for sticking with me on this journey. I hope I’ve given you things to think about and ways you can make your life and your health better. Most of all, I hope you’ve found something I’ve said to be helpful as you navigate through life.

Now, it’s time to look forward to the promise of all that lies ahead. Let’s go and meet it together. Naturally.

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