Maybe it's time for a bigger bowl

I was asked the other day: Why do you take the time to write this column each week? The person challenged me by asking: How is it that you know all of these things? The short answer is that I don't, but I do research.

I am simply interested in a lot of different things, and I like to know how things work. Anyone who knows me knows that I ask a lot of questions. I am curious about life. Gathering facts and looking from many different perspectives helps me make my best decision.

When our daughter was diagnosed with asthma at a young age, we were told she would outgrow the condition. We went along for years giving her a cocktail of several different medications, which worked. However, we wanted more than a lifetime of medication for her.

We finally started asking the right questions. Ultimately, we discovered that her asthma was simply food related. We were forced to broaden our focus to find more answers. Much like goldfish will only grow as big as the bowl they live in, we needed to get a bigger bowl to expand our knowledge.

I write this column to get people thinking and talking. I like that this column adds to the local conversation about improving the quality of life in our community. I actually love when I write a piece that stirs up a little controversy, which gets people writing letters to the editor and challenging me personally on many levels. It's great to see folks standing up for what they believe in. This means that people are talking and are passionate and alive.

By writing this column, I hope that I am encouraging folks to research more into things we take for granted regarding health, work and news we hear and read every day. Often times, we are being told or sold information with a specific purpose and intention.

For example, we are repeatedly exposed to television ads for prescription drugs to treat a variety of ailments that we may or may not have. We read and view stories in the media that may have a bias or hidden agenda to sell us something or to gather our votes. Sometimes the intention of the story is clear; other times, it is not. Sometimes the information is accurate; other times, it is not.

The Root is about creating a dialogue to help folks look at living their lives with their eyes wide open, expanding on and finding ways to live an informed, empathic, authentic wholesome life, though sometimes the topics are difficult or controversial.

Goldfish will only grow as big as the bowl they live in. Ask yourself: Are you limiting your thinking by the size of your fish bowl? Many times, I think we are artificially put things into a one-size-fits-all bowl when, in reality, we all have different life experiences that affect how we live in the world. What works for me may not work for you.

Maybe it's time for a bigger bowl!

Kevin Cotter is managing general partner at New Earth Market in Yuba City.