Thursday, July 9, 2009

Updates!

It’s been a busy few weeks, things have changed A LOT – mostly for the better, although some things remain a little more difficult to understand. I’ve spent most of my recent time trying to glean the lessons that are meant for me during this crazy journey. It’s like LIFE concentrate.

With business things move so quickly, there isn’t room or time for much introspection. Bumps and bruises are severe, and you are expected to keep moving at this exhausting clip of a pace – irregardless of the condition of the things and people surrounding you. But we move on. And we keep going forward.

That’s the beautiful thing about humanity – resilience, persistent stubborn immovable bullheadedness (I know there are grammatical issues all around with that statement). The point is that nothing is THAT big of a deal. I received a gem of a piece of advice last week – from the most unlikely of sources. He knows the granular version of where I am right now, what’s been going on etc. So one afternoon, while we were meeting to discuss business matters he proceeded to tell me a story about his 90+ year-old grandmother who had survived the Great Depression and made it out the other side with a few businesses under her belt and a clear idea of what it was that enabled her to make it through the lean years. When asked, “What one piece of advice would you give a young person, as it pertains to their success?” Her answer, to me, was like opening a window to welcome a cooling fresh breeze on a stagnant city summer afternoon. It was not fussy, overly pretentious or even hard to read – her answer to his questions was, “Don’t panic.” She told him that if during the years leading up to the period of the Great Depression, people just stepped back and took a minute to clearly analyze their next moves – lives may have been saved, and fortunes remained intact.

Don’t panic.

I’ve allowed those two words to dissolve themselves into the fabric of my thinking processes. Allowed them to be at the forefront of my mind when I am faced with people quitting at the most inoportune time. Thought about that first when resources were thinning out and I just wasn’t sure what the next day would look like.

Don’t panic.

When you ‘don’t panic’ you allow yourself the room to receive. You allow the beautiful music of life to compose itself around your peace. Your lack of panic. You release the mental block that comes from fear and frantic behavior.

There it is then. In the next few weeks, some of the most important events in the history of Lunch By Nature will transpire. We will be featuring some of our most popular summer food items at the 2009 African American Heritage Festival – an expected turnout of an estimated 500,000 people! Our Signature Green Apple Lemonade, made with fresh Granny Smith Apples, Lemons, Sugar and Water – we’ll debut a new sensation our Leaf ‘N Lemon – our take on the well known ‘Half ‘n Half, Arnold Palmer, Summer Split – Freshly steeped Herbal Tea mixed with our Signature Lemonade. Yum. Back by demand, our OMNI and HERBI Market Sandwiches, Grilled Sweet Corn, Kids Grilled Pizza and something NEW – ALL NATURAL SNOW CONES. With flavors like Lime & Mint, Blackberry & Lavendar, Espresso & Mexican Cane Sugar – who needs ‘Red’ Flavor anymore? Come by and say Hi – and don’t say we didn’t warn you, yes REAL food is THAT good.

Look for us to be featured at an upcoming food/wine pairing with Vineyards Elite (1429 Reisierstown Road, Pikesville 410-415-5550 – Check their website for FREE wine tastings+food pairings 7/11 – 7/18 and 7/25 @ 2-5pm) Fantastic selection of wines, craft beer and spirits – tell Mr. Patel I sent you his way!

Holistic Health and Wellness Fair, Be REAL Healthy! @Powerhouse Church, 1532 James St. Baltimore, MD – Featuring A People United Fair Trade Clothing, Tree Baltimore, Sweet Tooth Vegan Desserts, Zella’s Pizzeria, Tai Chi Instruction and Demo, Live Acoustic Music, Baltimore Urban Gardening, Vanguard Ranch LTD – Gourmet ORGANIC Fruits Vegetables and Herbs, Friends of Carroll Park, Cleaner Greener Baltimore, Baltimore Free Store, All World Empowerment Foundation, YMCA and MORE!

The Greater Hollins Business Association is also looking to host a ‘Hollins Open’ – this would look like an Open House for our community. A chance to ’show off’ to the local and regional media, the city and the outlying neighborhoods what we’re doing, the wonderful changes that are happening and provide an opportunity for business owners to meet and greet one another – building relationships and strong networks.

So, I hope to see you at one – or all – of these upcoming events. Your support is an integral part of our success, not just to the success of Lunch By Nature – but to the success of the community we serve as well.

Be good to yourself. And remember, Don’t Panic. ;-)