I am so truly blessed to be on this incredible journey of building a healthy living magazine in Wayne County. It is helping me to create an income for myself in the midst of an economy that can be a little bit scary at times, but it also allows me to help other small businesses grow by getting their message out to the people that are interested in what they have to offer. As I get the chance to meet more and more new people, it continues to amaze me the resiliency that exists among small business owners. I am very proud to be a part of this hard core group of optimistic realists who are in the trenches making it happen every day against all odds.
Looking back, I think that I have learned a lot of entrepreneurial skills from the many bosses that I have worked for throughout the years. This actually started with my Dad. I used to enjoy helping him in the garage on weekends listening to country music and working on his favorite hobby, old cars. He would be down on the garage floor under a car and in need of a tool that was someplace else, so he started teaching me what the different tools were so that I could get them for him. I can’t say that it inspired me to become a mechanic, but it did help me understand that the more you learn, the more valuable you can be no matter what you do in life.
When I attended the Plymouth Green Street Fair I met representatives from the Cass Community Green Industries and they were displaying rubber mats that were made from recycled tires by homeless people. One of the volunteers explained how empowering it is for these individuals to learn a valuable skill and to discover a way that they can help support themselves and provide a viable resource for re-purposing something that was once discarded but now can be useful once again. This program is taping into that same sense of purpose and resiliency, and it’s very powerful. [pg?]
My youngest daughter Jessica just completed her freshman year at the University of Detroit Mercy, and now she is in Brazil for two weeks as part of a school program. Back when she was in middle school and high school, our family hosted several Rotary Youth Exchange students, and four of them were from Brazil. I believe that living with foreign students and getting to know them as a part of our family helped to nurture her love for traveling and learning new languages. She has taken Spanish for several years, but learning Portuguese was an additional challenge for her. As a mom, I am thrilled that she is gaining these wonderful experiences, but I have to admit that the house is a just a little bit quieter these days and her cat seems quite perplexed as to why Jes is not around.
It seems that our lives are so full with all the things that we try to manage, and it’s really easy to put healthy living practices on the back burner, especially if we aren’t in physical pain. I don’t have scientific data to prove it, but it seems to me that in general, men are more likely to wait to seek medical attention until there is a major problem. Sometimes if you wait that long it can be to late. This month’s issue is all about men’s health. Guys, if someone that cares about you has passed this copy along for you to read, I ask that you try to read the articles with an open mind. Even if you pick up just a couple new healthy practices to incorporate into your life, it will beat the nothing that you might have been doing before, and it could make a big difference down the road.
After my husband David turned 40 it seemed like he was slightly more interested in his health, and over the past few years he has made some significant changes for the better. It’s wonderful to be able to share this interest in healthy living with him, and there is also the underlying thought that perhaps it will help to enhance the quality of life for our future together.
I hope that you can take some time this month to reflect on the men that have influenced your life in some way. They can certainly be a challenge at times, but all in all I believe they make life a little bit more interesting don’t you think?
Live well,
Mary Anne Demo
