Why juice?

So these are two tweets that I sent today:

Now, you may be thinking - 'whoa, Kristen, why so pushy?'

I'll tell you why, because we almost got this law passed last spring, but because of politics and according to Gov. Malloy, Monsanto's 'first amendment rights', it didn't happen.

That's right, our governor claimed to protect the first amendment rights of companies.  I'm sorry - I didn't realize that corporations were people...

Anyway…I'm just saying that if I'm going to screw up my health, I want it to be my own fault, not because I thought I was eating one thing and not another.

In other news...I'm on another juice cleanse.  I did one about a year ago, and barely survived it.  So, I thought I was really going to have to gear up for this one.  Surprisingly, I'm loving it!  The juice tastes better to me this time around (which is true, because I'm actually using recipes now…), I feel really clear, and I think my jeans are even a bit loose!

With that, I'm also wondering if, like the first time, I'm loving it because my body is nutrient starved for the rest of the year?

I eat a pretty healthy diet.  I eat a lot of veggies, and actually even like kale, but I also love baked goods.  (Which now, you can call me on if I cheat and the baked goods are not vegan, because I tend to get a little tell-tale allergy…if you follow me on instagram you've seen it...)

So, I eat healthy, try to always buy local and organic when I can, but there are times when you just want some chips and Gaby's guacamole, you know?

So on those days - how can I be sure that I'm not eating corn chips that are pumping me full of some kind of chemical that I would never dream of ingesting otherwise?

Even organic isn't enough of a label anymore because there are so many loopholes with the FDA that there are allowances for certain genetically modified foods to still be included.  Bah humbug to these GMOs!

Now, I don't care that some nobel laureate came up with dwarf wheat in the 60's, I know that he helped a lot of people, and made wheat able to grow in smaller spaces, I care that modern wheat gives people problems now.  (Have we noticed the uptick in need for gluten free foods?)

I also care that the corn I might want to eat (I love corn in the summer!) is genetically modified to have pesticides IN IT.

That's disgusting.

And these technologies are new, so when people tell us they're completely safe…?

As a member of a family that has had some cancer scares in the past, I'm very careful about what I put in my body, and I annoyingly read labels, but I would just like to have labels that spell it out, you know, in plain English.

I'd like a label that actually says something instead of 'all natural'.

And then I can make a choice.  If I choose to go with the unhealthy choice, I know what I'm doing, and if I choose to go with the healthy choice - I know that I'm actually getting what I think I'm getting.

Man, it must have been nice 50 years ago when food was actually food.

Call your congressman and happy weekend! Kristen

ps…for real - want to help Connecticut be the first state to pass a GMO labeling law?  You can!!

This is the info from the Connecticut Right to Know website:

Call Representative Sharkey today at 860-240-8500 or 1-800-842-1902.

Representative Brendan Sharkey, the Speaker of the House, is currently blocking HB 6519 from moving ahead in the legislative process and preventing you from knowing what is in your food.

Representative Sharkey is placing corporate interests above the rights of the people and is not even trying to hide it. In his responses to your e-mails, this is what he says:

“I’m adamantly opposed to CT being the only state to do so. We’re simply too small. To be the only state in the country that requires labeling will have huge, negative impacts on our economy and will perpetuate our image as being business-unfriendly.”

His statements are not founded in truth, GMO labeling will have absolutely no impact on our economy and he knows it.

If you want the right to know what is in your food call Speaker Sharkey today and tell him stop blocking HB 6519. 860-240-8577 or 1-800-842-1902.

My own summit

I wrote last week about getting to hear Hillary Clinton speak at the Women in the World Summit.  It was amazing,  I was so inspired.  I cried a little.  (You can read the entire deal here.) And then something incredible happened.

I took the train home after a 'blow my mind' morning, lucky enough to arrive at the Ivoryton Playhouse in Essex, CT, and get to work on a summit of my own.

Every year, Simply Smiles (simplysmiles.org) hosts an annual fundraiser called, Keep Hope Alive.  (It's named after my song, and yes, I remind Bryan that he 'owes me' all of the time…)  Basically, Bryan does something amazing.  He gets people in a room, tells them what his plans are for the next year by presenting tangible goals and asks people to support Simply Smiles in their efforts.

And they do.  Big time.

This year the money went to four causes:

1- eradicating hook worm in the village of Santa Maria Tepexipana, in Oaxaca, Mexico 2- buying land to build a children's home in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico 3- building four greenhouses in La Plant, South Dakota, on the Cheyenne River Reservation 4- running a suicide prevention program also in La Plant

I get very emotional during the evening because I love our friends in Mexico and South Dakota so much, so I'm not a great help.  But I get to socialize with people, help a little by telling the volunteers what to do, make sure the emcee and Bryan have water, etc, really - I'm just there because at the end, I sing, 'Keep Hope Alive'.

It's my chance to sum up the emotion of the night, and condense all the inspiration of the evening into a digestible melody that hopefully will stick with people as they walk out the door.  (They're sent home with a CD of the song, just in case they can't remember…)

It's how I can contribute.

My job is to encapsulate the passion, excitement, and emotion of the evening into a two minute and thirty second performance.  And I love it.

It's my favorite performance of the year.

And this mini-summit was replicated three times throughout Connecticut last week to raise over $218,000.

So yes, I had to leave the Women in the World Summit early last Friday, but I got to be a part of something that is creating real change in the world for the better.

And isn't that the point?

My lord, what a morning.

So...here was my day...so far... 5:45 - wake up. Well, hit snooze once, then wake up.

6:27 - take the train to the city.

7:40 - figure out taking the subway to Lincoln Center (so easy by the way...plus there are plenty of iphone apps to help you)

8:15 - meet up with my friend Vanessa, who hooked me up with a pass to the Women in the World Summit, and swooped me past the line and into the first row of seats behind the conference delegates. (I walked in with Andrea Mitchell, who hosts a show on MSNBC. I was totally starstruck and came thisclose to asking her about Rachel Maddow, but got too nervous.)

9 - listen to Hillary Clinton speak.

9:01 - cry a little.

So that's how my day started out. My life never ceases to amaze me. I think I just might be one of the luckiest people that I know. I'm not saying my life is better than yours or anything. I'm just saying, holy crap, I can't believe that I just got to do what I got to do!

"Let's keep fighting for opportunity and dignity, let's keep fighting for freedom and equality. Let's keep fighting for full participation, and let's keep telling the world over and over again that yes, women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights once and for all."

When Former Secretary Clinton came out on the stage - I'm not going to lie, my jaw dropped, and then I teared up a little, and then I noticed that she was much shorter than I expected. (That all happened in about one second, by the way.)

Read that quote again...don't you just want to get up and cheer?

She was amazing, inspiring, and hopeful. She has worked tirelessly throughout her career to make sure that equality is a reality, and it was pretty obvious today that she won't quit anytime soon. She's a force, a serious force.

After her speech, Chelsea Clinton (who is very smart and funny by the way...) moderated a discussion on innovators of the future. It was an incredible discussion and I learned about a great program called 'Girls Who Code'. They encourage girls to pursue interests and opportunities in computer fields. They're a pretty awesome movement, and if you'd like more information, you can visit their website!

Following that was a discussion held on whether or not the world has reached a tipping point on violence against women, siting India's recent outcry against the vicious gang rape of a Delhi student as their main example. One of the experts on the panel, Ravi Kant, runs an organization called Shakti Vahini with his three brothers. They work to combat human trafficking and violence agains women every day.

He had some thoughts on the role of men in equality, and received multiple ovations as he spoke so passionately. My favorite quotable line was, "Every man needs to stand up with women and say, 'this culture of silence needs to end.'"

I was only able to stay for the morning session, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go. I'm on the train, heading home to help set up for another Simply Smiles, Keep Hope Alive event, where I'll get to actually create some of the change that I'd like to see in this world. I'm lucky enough to have an organization where I can channel my energy and my passion. Again, seriously the luckiest!

Is this world ready for equality? I think so. I know that I am. My family is. My friends are. So what's stopping equality from happening? I leave you with this...

Today when Hillary came out on the stage, the women behind me literally said, at the same time, to each other, "she's so cute!" Until we take each other seriously, why should anyone else?

Hillary Clinton being introduced by Tina Brown of Newsweek.

Another South Dakota song…

I remember when I first started taking trips to Oaxaca, Mexico.  I was a college kid, an idealist, and a romantic.  I fell in love with the children of Casa Hogar, and when I wasn't with them, I missed them.  I thought of them, and I dreamt of them. They are still a huge part of my life, but things have changed.  With Simply Smiles, we work on new projects, meet new people, and yet - we still go back to Casa Hogar every week that we're in Mexico just to check in with the kids.  (And I remind them that any of them can be our lovely Gaby, and move in with me any time!)

Enter, La Plant, South Dakota.  I won't lie, the first time that I came to the Cheyenne River Reservation, I did not enjoy myself.  The work was hard, the environment was sad, and the kids were tough.  There were no hugs, they didn't care if I came back (or so it seemed), and so I knew that I had to.  We all knew that we had to.

If you had been mistreated by the government, boarding schools, and missionaries, wouldn't you be wary of new visitors?  Wouldn't you be skeptical of some white do-gooders?  I know I would.

So we persisted the way we always do, by being present.  We invited the kids over for games, the adults for dinner, and shared coffee and stories with the elderly.  And now, here we are, almost four years later, with kids calling throughout the morning to find out when 'winter camp' starts, and adults asking what they can bring to Bingo night.

Being here, in La Plant, is changing all of us.  I write songs about the kids, I joined the gym so that I could be stronger and have more endurance this summer, and even started doing yoga, so that I'd have a calm way to start the day!

And the most beautiful thing?  The kids want to be a part of all of it.  From music to our holistic, healthy lifestyle.  They're eating carrot sticks by the fistful, I can't cut the apples fast enough for snack time, we don't have enough yoga mats for all that want to join in, and we wrote our first collaborative folk song. (You can get it here, and the proceeds are paying for Guitar Camp '13!)

These kids want to be happy.  They want to be healthy.  They want to feel connected.

Don't we all?

And now, I have more kids that I miss, more kids in my dreams, and more and more children that I'm proud of every day.  I'm so glad that we stayed.

Kristen