the rainbow connection

CHANGE:/ how we look at rainbows

You all know I have a fondness for the little green frog, his banjo, and that song he sings. It came to mind though a lot for me this past weekend.

This weekend, rainbows were the flags that were being waved. With pride, with love.

To be honest, I think I have taken for granted what pride means in this city and afar for that matter. I grew up in the arts. I was a ballerina. I was by lifestyle immersed in homosexual and gay life from a very young age which made living amongst the rainbow, very very normal to me. So normal in fact, that maybe I misunderstood how much bravery it takes. What an exceptional community it is. And how diversity is our biggest source of power and knowledge.

Over the past couple of weeks, I, amongst many others, took place in a project with my friend Wendy Williams Watt of The Big Love Ball. I first met Wendy when i did a shoot for Big Love Ball with her and Sherri Koop some years ago. The idea has continued to burn and evolved, this idea was to  to handwrite and deliver 50,000 love letters to citizens of Vancouver during Pride. It was a concept I fell in L O V E with, yet had never expected its effects. I arrived at pride at the corner of Robson and Thurlow, Sunday morning, to a buzzing energy that literally brought a smile to your soul. I grabbed my bucket, my thousands of notes, and I set off by foot to talk to people that lined the street waiting for the parade. As I passed the noted along, there were tears, there was laughter, there were smiles, hugs, sarcasm and flirtation. In one word, there was CONNECTION. Real true human connection. I walked for about three hours, I could have walked ten more. I was terrified to talk to people, and yet I knew what had to be said. That if people felt more loved, chances are they would give more love. Hate does not cancel out hate, only love can do that. SO if 50,000 love letters can say that, then the world can truly shift one word at a time. I believe that. I choose to believe that. And in turn, no expectations asked, I felt its huge fucking radical effects. It was a like an afterglow rushing through my body. I literally felt high off of it. Not because I was happy, no, it wasn’t like that. But because my soul felt good. Knowing others felt good, and feeling the love back in return. There was hope, and unity. Something we all need to learn from this community. There were a few people along the way who had special effects… I wish I had created more space for their colour in my day, but they wont be forgotten. Michael, the kiss on the cheek that wasn’t enough he had to go in for the hug. The little girl who received the note and then passed it on to her mom. The junkie on the corner that looked at me and said love is the most powerful drug. Amen, amen. It sure is, and in that moment we were both high, and all he needed was the love.

As you know, nutrition and helping others is my passion, it is not only my career but what pulses through my veins. We learn as children and I am re learning in school, that for one to be healthy we must refer to the rainbow. Utilizing each and every one of its unique properties to maintain our, not average health, but Optimal Health. For years we looked at the food period, we used it to guide us, and yet when you look at it, the main component is not diversity, it is complacency. We say “eat more fruits and vegetables”, and yet our plate looks like a white washed pile. When did our rainbow turn into a giant slum? I thought about the rainbow a lot this weekend, what it means. What it means to me. How I can refer it to my life. There was a time not long ago, where I had to follow a set of rules, guidelines, and “laws” of what I had to eat or not. Sometimes I still do to be honest. . But when asked to create my own food pyramid, this is what it looked like. It may be missing somethings but it definently has a rainbow.A wheel of colour. Of diversity. Lending, and blending into one another as nutrients do to be most affective. They SUPPORT one another.

So what does that mean for us? We can look at this metaphor in our very lifestyle. Its such a simple concept and yet the more chaos in the world, the more divided we seem to become. What is your food pyramid, better yet, what is your lifestyle pyramid? Is it a wheel, circle, triangle or star. Is it all colours of the rainbow? Maybe what you lack, you will now notice, maybe find some room for growth. It was very evident to me that when a whole rainbow was present this weekend, only love flowed, everything came together like that magic moment when a raindrop hits the sun. WE crave sun all the time, but in truth, it is only the rain that will give us the more powerful effect, the end result.

peace

this is dedicated to the lovers, the dreamers, and me

oh and taste the rainbow 🙂 this is the one time you can totally take in a skittle or two.