Flourish

There are a few things you need to know about me from the get-go. I’m a health nut. Translated, I am super passionate about human flourishing. To be honest though, my zeal has not always landed on all 4 legs. I’ve had my eras of imbalance and extremes. Interestingly, those things that got me fired up on healthy living are the same things that thankfully have helped me find my footing.

Standing with my nursing class on the 3rd floor of St Helena hospital our instructor uttered a fact that changed my life. She said that over 70 percent of what we would see in the hospital was lifestyle-related. I didn’t ask her where she got her facts from and don’t know if that statistic is exact. That didn’t matter to me at the time.  What registered in my mind was that the majority of suffering experienced in a hospital was not fate or genetics, and potentially could be prevented. Lifestyle, meaning not only how we choose to live, but also what we experience in this life, is the big player.

I grew up in a Blue Zone, an area identified by researchers where the healthiest, longest-lived humans on the planet live. It was my culture but from that moment I no longer took it for granted. I altered my career path as well, making lifestyle a primary focus. How lifestyle intersects with the incredible design of the human persona: the synchronous unity and interconnection between mind, body, and spirit will ever be my study. Why? Because honoring this design is central to flourishing.

There are many ways one is educated; formal schools, mentors, books, youtube, our own mistakes, the school of hard knocks, etc. I’ve learned from them all.  My quest for learning has included gaining scientific knowledge as well as a practical understanding of how to be a part of other’s journey to live their lives to the fullest. I am excited to continue my journey with you, working with the 3ABN team under the united mission statement of mending broken people, which we all are in one way or another.  

Thirty years have passed since I have worn a blue nursing student dress and white cap. While I didn’t continue with nursing I found my niche in studying nutrition. I no longer live in a blue zone but am as fired up as ever about the principles and advanced knowledge God made available to help us thrive. The purpose of Risë’s Pieces is not just to provide information as fascinating as information can be, but in my own way to re-communicate this: “Beloved, I wish above all things that you would flourish and be in health even as your soul flourishes” (3 John 2, revised).