Sam's fooling himself

I truly believe that spirituality and healthy living are connected. Our whole being is affected by our moods and energy levels, which can be influenced by our nutrition. Why not influence our bodies for the good?


I don't email large companies to patronize them; I offer my hope that they will move in healthier directions for the sake of my family and for an entire nation that is battling obesity even in children. We can't continue blindly eating. We must question where it came from, how it was cultivated, were chemicals used in growth, were chemicals injected, were natural ingredients replaced with manufactured ones and labeled light?

Here is a recent email I sent to Sam's Club. After reading my email, I will explain why these things are important to me, and then you can read Sam's response to me.

Customer Message: I am a new member of Sam's club in Roswell, NM. I have shopped once and found a few things I was interested in buying from this store. I was mostly disappointed with how few healthy options were offered. The world is moving in a healthier direction and it is for the best. Please offer more organic options and check ingredients for high fructose corn syrup. I was really looking forward to buying meat from Sam's, but you do not offer any options in poultry that include free roaming, air chilled chicken or at least all natural. We were very excited to join Sam's club, but we will not renew next year if we do not see healthy changes for the better. Thank you.


Now that we live in a small town, Sam's shopping was an exciting Christmas  gift for us to receive so we can save a few bucks in comparison to our pricey small town options. We drove a little over an hour to the nearest Sam's, got our picture cards made, and started shopping! As we went up and down the isles, I saw a lot of things I used to buy, but have stopped purchasing because of the long lists of artificial ingredients.
*If you are comparing two similar products and scanning two lists of ingredients, when in doubt, choose the smaller list.
*Avoid high fructose corn syrup and aspartame like the palgue.
*Quick meat lesson: 1.) Many cows and chickens spend their entire life standing in one spot, squished in a windowless building with hundreds of other cows or chickens. Not only is this a horrible life, these poor animals are constantly producing the "fight or flight" hormone in their bodies without the ability to fight or fly which is stressful. Those hormones do not disappear when they are butchered, they are eaten by you if you buy the cheapest beef or poultry options. What to do you think happens to our bodies if we consume these stressful hormones? 2.) Chicken has two popular options of being preserved. It can be air-chilled, which is exactly what it sounds like. The chicken is immediately cooled for freshness; this is the option you want. Look for air-chilled when you purchase chicken. The other option is for the chicken to be dunked in water. This makes the bird expand so you appear to have more meat. Besides the dirty optical illusion, the water lessens the flavor of the meat so the chicken is then injected with a salt solution that the packages cleverly refer to as "broth". (If you live near me, Thrifty Way and Mario's are the only places in town that offer air-chilled chicken.)
*Be very careful when buying frozen, prepared foods. Check ingredients and nutritions facts, especially for fat and salt content.


Now see Sam's response.


Kristyn:

Thank you for contacting Sam's Club regarding your concern. Sam's Club offers a variety of healthy food options including tuna, MM canned chicken breast, and our healthier light chicken and beef progresso soup.  We appreciate your business and thank you for shopping with Sam's.

Regards,

Senecca
Sam's Club Member Services


(The tuna she is referring to is albacore- the worst tuna you can eat because it has the highest concentration of mercury. From this tuna-lover, stay away from albacore and always make sure the fish is packaged in water, not oil.) 


The more customer feedback companies receive, the more information they can put back into ordering products for their shelves. However, in this case, I feel like my healthy requests fell on deaf ears (or eyes rather). Senecca is correct; there are three products Sam's sells that may borderline on the healthy side. What I can't believe is that Sam's Club Member Services finds "three" an acceptable number of healthy options to offer their shoppers.


Saving a few dollars is not important enough for me to feed my family food I do not approve of. 

"I think I've had an apostrophe!"

"I think you mean epiphany." 

I really have! First of all, this is the first time in my life I have closely followed the seasons of the church. I grew up Baptist and I didn't know there were different Christian seasons celebrated by dates and colors throughout the annual calendar. We are currently in the season of epiphany until lent and the color is green to celebrate new growth and new life. Now that you see how perfect the timing is, I must share!

New Year Resolution:

(I feel like it is a little late to announce a new year resolution, but since I've never really been a resolution person, I am cashing in on the resolution deadline extension.)

Benefit of the doubt

I will explain even though this seems simple and self explanatory.
I am a huge advocate for benefit of the doubt. I desperately want to believe that people will mean well even if they did not speak, respond, or act well. 

Ergo a scenario: At what point did receiving a gift mean that you will be forever written off if you do not respond in the gift-giver's designated thank-you note time window? 

Give and take: give, out of the joy of your heart. Receive, in a gracious spirit, and yes, hopefully thank the giver. But sometimes we give so happily and then in such an ugly turn for the worst, become BITTER beyond all reason because we did not receive a response. I urge myself and all, to maintain the joy of giving and assume. Yes I know what assume stand for and I don't care. Assume that the person was appreciative and excited and don't expect anything in return. And then, if the giver chooses to respond, be blessed again, above the joy. Skip the bitterness all together.

Benefit of the doubt

This applies to so much more than just gifts. My husband and I joke about how some people do not have "filters". A filter (n) [is] a conscience-based mechanism that scans your words and actions for socially and situationally acceptable jargon, jokes, comments, stories, shareable opinions, and expressions of feeling. 

Ergo a scenario: A stranger touching a pregnant woman's belly without permission and asking if it is twins, definitely does not have a filter. Michael Scott from the office, definitely does not have a filter. A political enthusiast expecting you to agree with them because you both breathe oxygen and spouting off slurs toward the other party, definitely does not have a filter. You get the idea. 

The above mentioned scenarios are painful when lived out in real life, yet I still have to think that the person meant well. Perhaps their unfiltered behavior is a result of a deeper-rooted insecurity. Perhaps it is the only way they know to act. They have needs just like everyone and to turn my back on them in repulsion based on my ideas of social skills, is to withdraw the hand of grace and friendship. That is not what Jesus did. Jesus demonstrated the rawest form of acceptance to those society had every right to shun based on laws and people skills- good thing Jesus sees past all that. 

Benefit of the doubt/New Year's Resolution

It is recorded in the gospels that Jesus urges us to not judge others.
Luke 6:37-38

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I turn the mirror of reflection on myself. 

I do not write this as a master of people skills. I write this as a humbled screw-up when it comes to handling situations well. 

Ergo a scenario: In my insecurity, I have assumed before that silence from others in our lives at times must mean flaws in the fabric of our friendship. But why? There are so many other reasons  (# 1 being busy lives) that we may not have had chances to talk > benefit of the doubt frees me from judgement. 

And that's just one example. I think if I can live by this resolution, I will free myself from a prison of judgement and perhaps relieve myself and others of some unnecessary grief. Feel free to join me in my journey of benefit of the doubt. 

To growth and life in this new year. May we recognize the presence of God and walk in truth. Amen.