Now I must admit this post may seem to be a radical departure from what I usually write, but when you read it and listen to the poem embedded in the post, you will see that it is very relevant.
Defiant Wellness was conceived out of frustration, or perhaps even contempt, for a culture that has elevated man-made potions over God-given food, drink and medicine. Our high-speed culture has placed a higher value on fast food, fast communication, fast relationships and fast medicine.
I am reluctant to say it is all bad, as much benefit has been realized from our science. However, it is worth noting that nature has packaged human nutrition and health in wondrous ways for eons. Nature’s food is always recognizable as food, even without an ingredients label or a panel of nutritional facts.
The most basic of nature’s bounty for human nutrition is mother’s milk. Breast-fed babies suffer fewer illnesses such as diarrhea, earaches and pneumonia, because breast milk contains antibodies that help fend off infections.
Over forty years ago, my wife nursed our baby boy. We thought nothing of it. We never found it to be a socially unacceptable issue. Why? Well, it may have been that we spent most of our time at home, because we didn’t have a lot of money to go out. It could have been that we were in the midwest, and that rural environment may have been more in tune with the natural order of things. It could have been that we were just coming out of the sixties, and catching a glimpse of a breast was no longer a shock.
Since I began pursuing health and fitness, I have been spending more time with friends of child-bearing age. Therefore, I am occasionally around infants and moms. Over the past year I have found myself with young women who calm their hungry, fussing baby by discretely lifting their sweater and giving baby the sustenance he requires. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little uncomfortable at first, but I wasn’t offended. And I continued the conversation, uninterrupted by a wailing infant.
We exist in a culture of sexuality. Breasts are icons of sexuality. We see them everywhere. Their design is meant to be appealing, yet we have desensitized ourselves to their natural function in exchange for a delightful ornament of womanhood. I was discussing this subject with a friend, and she directed me to a lovely young poet, named Hollie McNish. The embedded YouTube video sums this all up very well. Pardon the pun, but I trust it will be good food for thought.
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Love it! Nursed all three of mine, and never had to worry about being out on the road without a bottle. It was especially nice for those 3 a.m. feedings when you stagger out of bed, so tired you can’t think straight. You didn’t have to wait for a bottle to heat up. Best of all it was free, and good for them!