The Best Facebook Status Ever. ~ Jodee Anello
The other day, my dear friend, Elizabeth Cosin, posted this status update. It is simply too good not to share…In its entirety…
(Elizabeth Cosin) is gonna get deep for a minute: embrace the world; hug your friends; kiss your dog on the nose. Dance, sing out loud; play games; be irreverent. Don’t worry about money; ride your bike; play Scrabble with someone in person; call your people and tell them you love them; give a gift to a stranger.
Stop worrying so much; take the deepest breath you’ve ever taken and take that breath outside; run around the house laughing; chase your dog.
Eat bacon in copious amounts!
Write stories that make you happy; listen to anything you like and turn the volume up; invite your neighbors over for tea; take a trip to visit someone you haven’t seen in awhile. Drink a little, laugh a lot; blow bubbles!
Be less judgmental and more encouraging. Be critical in a constructive way. Share your wisdom and talent with someone who can’t do anything for your career. Drive a stick shift on a two-lane highway while listening to Waylon Jennings. Let go of grievances and don’t get mad—make things right, do a good deed and don’t tell anyone. Remove “hate” from your vocabulary and don’t take anyone or anything for granted.
When in doubt be kind and thoughtful. That is all. Thank you.
Jodee Anello lives in Healdsburg, CA, where upon arriving there three years ago, was finally cured of a near fatal case of wanderlust. She works at a popular winery while she tries to figure out if modeling will ever work out, but even better would be writing, which is her passion. She uses her blog to improve her writing skills with poetry, memoir and personal essays. She is a runner and cyclist and enjoys home improvement projects, landscaping and making garage wine with friends. She is also the number one fan of her son’s band.
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Editor: Alexandra Grace
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If I weren’t reading meditation books with similar messages every day, I would print it out and pin on the fridge. Love it
How can "eating bacon in copious amounts" and "be kind and thoughtful" in the same status make any sense? "Bacon" of course are pigs, who are highly intelligent, sentient beings, who just want to live like we do but are imprisoned, tortured and murdered to only end up as your waste..how kind and thoughtful is that?
i fully agree with Goveg. that line stopped me from caring.
suggesting that we kill animals and possibly die from it…
hmmm. thankful to be vegan _/\_
all the rest is great.
may all being live happy and free from harm. <3
Ashley
This could be considered "deep" only in a culture in which no individual is worried about surviving a missile attack, ethnic cleansing, terrorism, government censorship, unrelieved famine or drought, or is not a pig.
Elizabeth posted this status on the heels of losing a beloved cousin. I wasn't aware of this until after the fact. To know her is to know the incredibly thoughtful, loving and caring person that she is, therefore I am not going to defend her for her bacon comment. I thought this was a status worth sharing. It was lovely in it's simplicity.
I do all of those things (except eat meat) and I enjoyed reading it because it reminded me to do more of it whenever I can and teach my kids to do the same. I think that when life is tough, no matter who you are or what you are going through it is okay to take a breath and a moment to play and enjoy the beauty of life.
Thank you, Shellm. I appreciate your comment.
I didn’t know this was going to be posted on this board and have no problem whatsoever with people who do not eat meat. We live in a farming community here. I love pigs. They are amazing creatures which is why I only eat pigs (and other meat) that have been raised sustainably and humanely. The people I know who most love pigs, also happen to love eating them. I don’t support buying any old bacon in the supermarket or any processed foods for that matter. We tend the earth here, we live off it and we share it. That is how we feel we can thoughtful and responsible and humane and yes, still eat meat. Please feel free to continue the discussion — I’m bowing out. I’m thrilled my friend would think so much of this to share it but I’m not going to make this a discussion of vegans vs. meateaters. Peace.
Lovely post. Elegant response. I'm very sorry about your cousin.
I think its beauty is in its simplicity.
Simply stated, as I see it… stop scrutinizing life to the nth degree.
Just live it to the fullest, and love every minute of it.
Feel the sheer joy within.
I think its great.
Very well said, JT, and I thank you kindly.
ALL but the bacon… stopped me in my tracks.
I don't know anyone who could watch these videos and still enjoy eating a pig… ever (raised in any fashion of farming) http://woodstocksanctuary.org/learn/factory-farme… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vP3wcA-6Cw
This is great. Makes you remember to stop the madness and enjoy life a little. Thanks for posting.
Jodee … I love this! thanks for sharing! All the people who are missing the message because of the bacon part REALLY are missing your whole message!
Thanks for your reply, Jodee.
Ms. Cosin herself said she was "gonna get deep for a minute," right at the beginning of her post.
I'm sorry to hear that she lost her cousin. Perhaps the status update, being a personal expression of grief, was never meant to be subjected to public scrutiny and comment. But you presented it as a line of thought worthy of consideration, which all the commenters did, but rejected as being unworthy. She may be quite wonderful, but all we have to go on are her words, lovely in their simplicity. The sad fact is that life is never as simple as we'd like it to be. While we enjoy life in our wealthy, progressive country, others struggle merely to survive. One woman's joyous bacon feast is another creature's misery and death. There's nothing wrong with being happy and blowing bubbles, but is that the best response we come up with in the face of death? It doesn't seem deep to me. Thanks again for responding.