By Ashley Look
A playlist for grief. Photo credit: Mike LaBrum and Zoran Kokanovic
Music for a mood…
“Each person’s grief is as unique as their fingerprint. But what everyone has in common is that no matter how they grieve, they share a need for their grief to be witnessed. That doesn’t mean needing someone to try to lessen it or reframe it for them. The need is for someone to be fully present to the magnitude of their loss without trying to point out the silver lining.”
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Pineapple is good for respiratory health thanks to the enzyme Bromelain.
As we find ourselves in midst of the Coronavirus we should turn to pineapple for a helping hand. I know, I know… Ya all probably think this is trash talk but hear me out. I have three specific reasons why pineapple should be the fruit mascot for all things Covid-19. You ready?
Pineapple is rich in Bromelian which is an enzyme with a positive record for treating upper respiratory track infections. Several studies including “The Use of Bromelain in Pneumological Therapy” published in 1978, as well as the 1967 publication of “A Double-Blind Clinical Evaluation of Bromelains in the Treatment of Acute Sinusitis” both reported effective results in treating respiratory illnesses. For those suffering from pneumonia and bronchitis, bromelain can apparently help suppress coughs and reduce sputum which is the mucus-y stuff coughed up from the respiratory track. Bromelain is reported to decrease such secretions, helping to increase the capacity and function of the lungs! Holla! Additionally, pineapple is loaded in vitamin C and manganese which are essential for antioxidant defense. In short, that means immunity boosting nutrients, and with Coronavirus cases continuing to rise, this is the time to feed your body with nourishment that might literally help you or a loved one fight for their life.
Granted, pineapple is no substitute for medical intervention but right now we are in a time of uncertainty and medicines with a cure are still being researched. If there is one take away we can all observe right now, it’s that those with compromised immune systems and underlying health condition are facing greater risks against this virus. We don’t have all the answers as to how we as a people get sick, but we do have a lot of them. Heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure are illnesses threaten by the Covid-19 and all of which correlate back to diet. Now has never been a better time to take a good hard look at what we are eating and take a proactive step toward improving our health. I know this virus has us feeling as though life is out of control but this is something you can do. You can make pineapple part of your diet. It's quite possible this fruit can help and if nothing else, we can at least trust that it won’t hurt.
That’s right folks! Growing food should at least be in the back of everyone’s mind. I don’t want to be an alarmist but when you hear stories about global border closures, record plunges of the stock market, collapsing healthcare systems, and a growing viral pandemic, it’s a bit naive to assume all will turn-out rosy. Shit is going down right now and our leadership is floundering. And this is not a political statement. This is just glaringly obvious by every single Facebook or Instagram post highlighting the states of panic, depression, concern and ambivalence rampant among us. People don’t know what to do and what’s worse is management of every kind seems just as clueless.
But folks, I have some news for you. If you find yourself waiting to be lead forward by anyone in a “crisis”, the joke’s on you. There is no white knight. No hero is at the helm standing watch, waiting for the right moment to lift you from the storm. YOU are the only one that can do that, and the sooner you come to terms with this sad misfortune the better off you’ll be. Let that sink in for a bit. There is a good change you won’t get it right now but I promise you that at some point it will click and rather than some enlightened awakening, you might experience something more akin to a great thaw. It wasn’t enlightening to learning that I was single-handedly patching cracks in our system so my family,( myself included) could remain afloat. The legal system demanded my parents receive care (Read About page) which personally hamstrung me to the broken healthcare system. Naturally that then tethered me to the financial system. And then that system fettered me to the welfare system. And then that system, to the food system.. You see where I’m going with this? You might remember my old posts about needing new glasses, getting by on $50 a week (for me and my dad), or just wanting a hair cut… It was an extremely rough time made rougher by isolation. But guess what? No hero in sight except, m y s e l f…
{Insert the epic “thaw” here. }
For the first time in probably two or three years I saw the true reality of the situation. It was my shit sandwich and I had to swallow it. We all know that expression “to eat shit” but until the load is on your plate, the magnitude of the task ahead is peripheral. Well, that shit was not peripheral. That shit, was a diarrhea of a shit and it was front and center. It was the cold, and cruel reality of a dangerous uncertainty and no sooner did I choke it down, did the ice begin to melt. First, my eyes cleared and I started taking in the big picture. Then the rage formed, just as I started to shake my shoulders lose. By the time I could free my elbows, I was ready to throw punches. But the punches never came. Turns out hands are harbingers for solutions and as soon as mine were loose they were called to action. I started cranking out spoons to help supply us with more income. And I started reading the Wall Street Journal to better understand the f’ing stock market. Financial security was food security and I realized the risk of having only one pillar in play. You follow me?
The whole point of this rant is to shake you out of your ice. Do not allow yourself to become frozen in place, paralyzed by the news and your new found circumstance. Think forward. Think ahead and prepare now. Start a garden if you can. We’ve just entered Spring and the ground is ripe for new seeds. No room for a garden? Try a container version instead, or just a single plant. We literally Do. Not. Know. What. Is. Going. To. Happen! So, let’s be a little proactive. At best, growing some of our own food makes us individually more sustainable. At worst we have a sad little plant that produced nothing but root rot. Either way it’s win-win. This provides you something purposeful to do with your new home-bound life as well as a new found respect for the hard working farmers that keeps us fed!
As for the pineapple, it’s just easy to propagate. You can just get one at the store (assuming they remain available) , cut the top off, and plop it right into the soil and it will grow. It does take a while but it’s seriously easy. Mine grew (I have two) and I was far less methodical with my attempt than the link above. They also work in pots and if it doesn’t fruit, it still looks good. This might be your first step in having a Victory Garden. Why not get a jump?
This segment should be obvious. Not only are pineapples good for respiratory health and easy to grow, but you can also cook with them. Duh… You get the most nutritional density by just eating the fruit unaltered but don’t let that stop you from incorporating it however you can. You might only be able to find pineapple frozen or in a can and I realize that might influence how you choose to consume it but either way, go for it! One of my favorite ways of consumption for small children, elderly, or anyone feeling sick is via a smoothie or glass of pineapple juice. I don’t think you need a recipe to do this. As long as you have the basic ingredients to build a smoothie just go for it. My only suggestion is to think about the color wheel when mixing ingredients. It’s kinda like grade schools when you were mixing paints for art class… If you mix red fruit with leafy greens, you’ll likely get a brown smoothie. Gross! However, if you mix red fruit with yellow fruit you’ll get orange. Or yellow fruit and leafy greens will create a lighter green smoothie. The saying goes, and I believe this, “you eat with your eyes”. I don’t know about you, but the only brown smoothie I’m into is chocolate or coffee something. Stop making gross looking smoothies! Jamba Juice doesn’t do and neither should you. In addition to drinks, pineapple has a place in both sweet and savory recipes. Along with the typical pineapple upside-down cake it goes well with chicken and pork or mixed in with some rice and beans. Really, just take yourself to Pinterest if you need inspiration. This is not rocket science.
Alright, and on that note, I gotta, GOTTA, GOTTA finish this up. When I said I was going to dive into more posts about isolation I didn’t think pineapple was going to be the first rabbit hole I’d send you down. And if you are still here, I’m impressed! And please comment and let me know how you feel cause if you want me to talk some real talk about isolation, then here’s a dose… How about the fact that I posted this blog for years, A L O N E, during the hardest time in my life and rarely a peep did anyone make here to encourage me on. That’s not a guilt trip. It’s just a fact. And worth thinking a bit on what it means to “show-up” for someone when you physically can’t be near them. I can tell you from experience that it’s gonna take more than a Facebook like. Likes don’t save lives. Nor will they save the livelihoods of the millions of people that will be effected. So buckle folks. This ride has only just started.
Also, pineapple for the win! Just sayin’…;)
Quarantine crafts: Southpaw - a hand carved wooden spoon, crafted while social distancing during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Let me tell you folks, as someone that spent relatively five years in isolation, You. Can. Do. This!
Most of you that follow me here already know the story. My parents got sick and I had to abruptly leave my job, my apartment ,my partner, my new car, my everything, to care for not one but two parents with ALZ and dementia. Blah, blah, blah... It was the f’ing worst! It was my whole world and it crashed around me in an instant. Oh, and spoiler alert, everyone died. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do and in the wake of this crisis, you need to know you can do this, and it’s gonna f’ing SUCK!
I’m thinking about reviving this site to share more about the isolation experience as I see so many suffering with the dynamics of all this change. And I wish I could say being away from all your friends and family will be easy, but I can’t. It’s not. It’s the worst f’ing thing I’ve ever experienced and I did it for five F’ING years!!!!
But! And there is a really big BUT here... Isolation teaches you things about yourself that the world itself cannot and I encourage everyone to just take a deep breath and think about your fear. Is it loss of income? Is it loneliness? Is it the loss of your stability or worse… death?
Tell me what it is and maybe I can share what I gained when I faced those things alone. Maybe it will help calm you if you’re feeling scared. I was scared for a good long while and I still am... but perhaps not to the same degree. I’m not the same person I was when this journey first started. The years changed me but I’m better for it and I’m happy to share more of that experience if you think it might be helpful.
Tip #1: Get a hobby!
Stay healthy and stay home! Love to you all!
{Originally posted on Instagram on March 23, 2020.}
