Life Changing Advice from a 5-year-old and my "Holy" Christmas socks...

About two years ago, my brother, who was about 5-year-old at the time, told me something I think about very often. If I listen to it fully - - I notice it is quite profound. Simple yet mind boggling.

As one of my favorite quotes says - "Simplicity is complexity resolved," and after attending a Bible study led by a Columbia faculty / M.D. from the C.C.U. (Critical Care Unit), I value by brother's tangential comment now more than ever. Before I let him change your life, meet my little brother Jack. This is the face of a child-genius-world-changer. . . Star Wars fanatic =) Love him so much. 

Face of a child human-psyche genius....covered in low-fat, pro-biotic rich, delicious Yogurtland Yogurt =) He was taking me on a date.

Luke Skywalker..... see the resemblance? Luke also likes Yogurtland 

Anyways...this is what my brother asked me about two years ago ...
"What do you actually have to do each day?" 
He then said, "I mean, like-every day? What do you HAVE to do?" Meanwhile I was busy studying for an exam, worried about folding laundry, going running, making it to some event, should I call a friend back now or later...

I actually had to stop. 

I realized my answer. I realized everyone's answer :  "Not very much."

Being in school - demands are high. Heck being in life the demands are high. Listening this past Thursday to an incredible Doc talk about the CCU and what people express at the end of their life....my brother somehow, likely God-inspired because this simple wisdom is quite reminiscent of the thought provoking bits in Psalms, he somehow elicited the thought - what is the meaning of this -> what is important?

We have all heard it before. In the last moments of life - what are people concerned with? Family, friends, loved-ones, how they have helped others..... my message in this sentence is for all students everywhere....

You can take my advice...because I am wearing these socks in February....I think holy socks are part of the grad school curriculum...

Don't forget why you are doing what you are doing. ENJOY it. ENJOY each step. People may look at me like I am a nut when I say I enjoyed studying for the MCAT but I found joy in it. Whatever your struggles are - dwelling on the negative is not going to be beneficial for your mental health. You can do this...you can do it to YOUR standard. I go to school with genius kids here at Columbia. I doubt my abilities - then I realized: we all are endowed with unique qualities, to dwell on the negative, led me to fail to realize the positive, my own strengths.

Visiting my grandma (95 yrs!) recently, again brought my little brother's question to mind, "Brittany (or girlfriend, as he calls me)...what do you ACTUALLY have to do each day?"

This is what I have to do. To love the people around me. As the CCU doc said..... we love and care for them (others/patients) not because of any reason, just because they ARE. We love them because they ARE.

Another life lesson that I have learned by watching those who I admire - kindness never fails. Those who are truly and sincerely kind...what do they have to loose?

Another person who I hold near and dear said something else that I think about often when it comes to the end of life situations. We are all entitled to believe-in what we believe-in (faith), but those people who are truly and actively atheist trying to condemn the faith of others ... at the end of their lives, when they die, if they find out they were right and there is nothing ... there is no GOD...no HIGHER POWER... 1) that kind of stinks and (2) what point have they proven...they now fail to thrive?  and (3) if they were wrong.....they were eternally wrong.

On the flip - for those who are Christians or believers of any denomination, I recently found out that here at a PRESBYTERIAN hospital...people can be fired for expressing their faith/praying with a patient. It is interesting that a hospital that was initially started with some religious intention holds these rules. Someone, an amazing M.D. who I met, was fired for suggesting abstinence. Since this is my blog - - I can't be fired from it. I think this is sad. There are condemning and toxic Christians, as there are any personality type, but as a good friend and I discussed last night over dinner....how do we know those people's background. Whatever their religious/personal/economic status.... how can we know their background or what they are dealing with? Christian or not....why can we not separate this and look at people's intentions rather?

I digress. 

These are my thoughts about life. Everyone is entitled to their own but I hope that my pondering on this strangely foggy Saturday morning can bring some hope, light, love, thought, or otherwise to your day.

Have a great day and don't be afraid to embrace life and all that you are and do - be a leader of the life that you live. We only get one chance. . . God bless ~

p.s. One of the things that we actually HAVE to do each or most days is eat.....(this is why I LOVE my nutrition program....food is an essential)


The Ajna Bar in NYC for restaurant week with my fabulous friend Danielle =) formerly the Buddha Bar.

Very tender braised beef short ribs in an amazing burgundy sauce with mustard seeds

Danielle with Chai Tea Pana cotta.....AMAZING

Ice is INconvenient

NY-1 News never ceases to amaze me with their creative weather reports - -today they reported the sound of rain on the reporter's umbrella. This was, of course, with little external validity because most NYC umbrellas actually only consist of the metal sticks with the covering still clinging to about 1/4 of the umbrella - - Wind + Rain = umbrella failure.

Good thing NY has a designer that can make things with old umbrella remnants Click Here for the story... Think doggie coats or scarf like things.

With the uproar in Egypt - I was upset to hear about what was going on - - well I was also pretty upset that Diane Sawyer interrupted Oprah with a special report about it all. Why Oprah? (preface, I usually don't have time to watch TV) Because UC Berkeley Knight Professor of journalism / food expert Michael Pollan was on. Check out Oprah's site - there are also many great links to other resources regarding food:

Click Here for Oprah's site




Mr. Pollan himself...I think I am wearing his same jacket today.


His main point: we don't know where our food comes from. Do kids know that a chicken was killed in the process of making their nuggets? Do you even think about the distance your food has traveled to get to the convenient supermarket? You can also look inside Cargill - one of the largest slaughterhouses - and how your cow becomes dinner.

Meanwhile the weather outside was frightful...

And it took me an hour to get to my thesis setting. Primarily because I had to walk on what appeared to be a free ice rink that decided to cover NYC.

From Southern California, ice is relatively controlled and found mainly in cube trays in the freezer, in the Anaheim Ice Skating Rink, and in Big Bear when your dad decides it would be fun to go off roading in the snow and nearly slide the jeep off the mountain due to icy roads.

However, it was a great workout. Point being - - all of you readers who are reading this amidst inclement weather, I want you to rejoice. Think of the novel workout you are getting by shoveling snow, sweating profusely, trekking through rain, dressing and undressing with all of those layers.

If icy conditions and NY1 news' continual report of puddle conditions correlates with a healthier and more active population, then my grey morning just got much sunnier! Oh cardiovascular activity....30-45minutes daily folks!

In other news - - checkout the Michael Pollan interview on Oprah. It is worth a moment. Be weary of the lady that speaks with him (Kathy) - she does NOT have any nutritional training and while I respect her - - she says a bunch of nonsense. It is interesting to see how much false information is readily advertised and accepted by the population, desperate for a better way of eating and for regular bowel movements.