a paradigm shift

i love those random and rare moments, when i suddenly realize (as tends to be the only way i discover things about myself) that i have changed.

this morning, i was running through the grocery, grabbing this fruit here, and that fruit there, treats i needed and craved to get me through my work day, sustainably and with satisfaction. i noticed prices, but didn't let sticker shock derail me from my course. it has been a long road for this self-taught champion of cheap eating, but as i was at the cash register, untroubled by whatever the final dollar amount was, i realized: i've turned a corner.

a while back, when reading whatever i could get my hands on concerning the false pricing of our processed foods (due to snarky government subsidies), and lack of appropriate inflation on the factory farming industry (meat prices haven't changed in fifty years), an author noted, "if we are going to spend our money on anything, shouldn't it be on what we put in our bodies?". that struck me. it became so obvious. shouldn't more of our paycheck go to what keeps us alive and keeps us well, instead of what keeps us entertained or keeps us cool? (you can't have the latter without the former). isn't health the higher value?

this "food" is cheap because 1) it isn't real food, 2) the workers who handle it aren't paid what they should be, and 3) it isn't produced with integrity or care for the consumer. real food has a real cost. and i'm glad i've finally realized, and committed to, this reality.