Written by: "Natalie Wright"

With the 87th Academy Awards (better known as The Oscars to most folks) having just happened, it seems fitting that the chosen topic for any blog right now would be Film. Whilst The Oscars is so huge that we kinda don’t need a better reason than this to choose film as our topic this month, the motivation behind this choice goes a little deeper than “Oh hey The Oscars are happening, we should probably write about that” for the Elevenses family and warrants a little exploration. This is why I’ll be looking at film and its importance in creating valuable shared experiences as part of my Food for Thought column.

Now, my Elevenses post wouldn’t be complete without some nod to Tolkien would it? (we do call ourselves Elevenses after all). It is with this understanding that I bring you this fun fact, relevant to both The Lord of the Rings and The Oscars:

“The most successful films in Oscar history are Ben-Hur, Titanic and Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King. Each took home 11 gongs – although Return Of The King was the only one of those to take home every award for which it was nominated.” ~ Empire Magazine

Introduction

Now, my mother will be the first to tell you that I’ve always had a hole where my ability to budget should be and as much as I could argue that the hole has been since been plugged after years away from the family home, I’m sure that my girlfriend will be the first to rat me out within seconds of me making such a wildly inaccurate claim. My opinion? My sister stole all of the sensible genes.

The meaning of budget for me has experienced huge swings and roundabouts over the years and I’m sure that as my life progresses such wild change in meaning will continue (I’m expecting budget to be a big thing as soon as motherhood hits). Where the word once meant nothing but “Why can’t I get all three £40 Playstation 2 games?!” when spending my parents money, it now means the difference between having the option of organic meat with most meals or being forced to eat rice and chicken as every meal for a month because oops: bills.

Whilst we all know of the behemoth that is the “financial budget”, its cousin “emotional budget” should never be forgotten. As a student (yes that’s right, I’m back at the ol’ education lark) and anxiety sufferer, both budget tyrants are intertwined with my days, but what was important for me was becoming aware of how they’re intertwined with each other as a first step to getting a handle on both.

“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”
– Nathaniel Branden

First it was 2 litres of Coca Cola or Dr Pepper every 4 days during my school days, then, when I graduated to University it became 12 cans of diet coke every 7 days – we all have our vices. Mine, and many other people’s from what I hear, came in the form of an ice cold and beautifully bubbly substance that drew me in under the guise of “fruity beverage”. Let’s be honest, Dr Pepper doesn’t taste like any fruit I’ve ever had, how about you? Nah, didn’t think so.

Remember those stories and, with the inevitable progression of technology, videos? You know the one, where some kid puts a dull penny in a glass of Coca Cola and leaves it for a few hours. We all know what comes next, a shiny coin that makes you feel incredibly guilty about what you’ve been feeding your insides for the last quarter of your life. If the drink can strip a coin, how is your stomach fairing? *shudders*

This beverage battle is staged in such a way that you think you’ve made the healthy choice through switching from Coca Cola to Diet Coke, it did a number on me that’s for sure. Trouble is, that with this switch you go from chewing up your digestive system to chewing up your brain.

Welcome to the first entry of my Elevenses column, Food for Thought. In case you missed the introduction, I’m Natalie and I’m the adopted one of the family unit behind this blog. Feel free to read a little more about me over here or about my adopted family members here, here and here.

What with Christmas approaching (or the Holiday season as you North Americans like to call it) the Elevenses crew couldn’t help but choose “The Harvest” as November’s topic.

What does the Harvest mean to me?

If you’re a traditional foodist then butternut squash, pork roasts and baked apples might spell “The Harvest” right out for you, for me however, it’s not so pumpkin spiced and delicious.

Where there once was eating breakfast out on the deck and wearing your only pair of shorts one too many times, there now comes frozen tear ducts and saving yourself from falling face first into Superstore on the way to picking up the next meal. For me, “The Harvest” means a huge transition to dark mornings, dark afternoons and a tougher time getting from the former to the latter.

My lifestyle, my way forward and almost all decisions I make are driven by a will to overcome my long term anxiety and depression to attain a truer life experience. It is through diet, cognitive work, medication and most recently, testing, that I have yielded the best results in progression all of which I hope to share with you.