A Different Kind of Hunger

A Nutritionist Searches for Courage

“There is something antic about creating,

although the enterprise be serious.

And there is a matching antic spirit

that goes with writing about it,

for if ever there was a silent process,

it is the creative one.

Antic and serious and silent.”

                        Jerome Bruner

The Old Man/The Young Woman:  Can you see them both?

In my novel, PAPER BAGS, the protagonist is searching for love and a safe place. She finds both but doesn’t recognize them when she sees them. How is it possible to have something I desire right in front of me but not know it?

In the above illustration, not everyone can see the two different figures. Preconceived ideas about how things are supposed to be get in the way. The fact I labelled the picture with the words “Old Man/Young Woman” starts the brain waves searching for a familiar pattern.

As a nutritionist, I learned about protein, fat, and carbohydrates and how they combine to give me energy and satiate hunger. While I crave carbs and starchy foods for comfort, what I really want is to belong.

I hunger to belong

I write to belong, to be a part of a creative community. Knowing this about myself frees me to put my time into endeavors that foster a sense of comradery and literary citizenship. It doesn’t mean I want to give up on being a best-selling author; it means being a part of the writing community is my happy place.

The chameleon looks like one thing then changes to something else. In my novel, the main character, Kat McNeil, falls in love with a man who turns into a woman. Kat doesn’t recognize this as love because her idea of a loving relationship is between a man and a woman. And so, she begins her journey of curiosity and courage.

“Get Gutsy” is all about courage—where it comes from and how to find it. In his book, The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health, Emeran Mayer, MD, reports how the microbiome impacts both physical and mental health.

Following Myer’s theory, along with Gut Balance Revolution by Gerard E. Mullin, MD, whose book I used to create The Gut Class in 2016, I’ll be reporting on new research, products, recipes, and trends in gut health. I hope you’ll join me, Get Gutsy, and subscribe.

I am a nutritionist*

I write about hunger

Not to linger on my belly

But to single out a need

I am hungry

I am angry

I am searching

For Belonging

For Relating

For Entwining

For Divining.

*Thanks to Rochelle Newman-Carrasco for a glimpse into “Spoken Word”