My intention for 2012: Share my passions, lessons, and challenges with you - and hear about yours too

It is the first day of 2012 (aka the year I'll turn 50), and though I can honestly say that 2011 was a wonderful year, I am looking forward to what this next year will bring. Though I'm a bit of a control freak, the wisdom that comes with age has shown me that the only thing I can control is my intention and willingness to take appropriate action. Beyond that, I can only sit back and watch in amazement as incredible new experiences, opportunities, people, and lessons show-up and unfold in ways that I never could have planned or even imagined!

So today I have set my intention for this Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat blog for 2012. Of course I'll continue to write about my passion for mindful eating and breaking free from yoyo dieting. In addition, I will write more often about my other personal passions, experiences, challenges, and lessons. My intention for sharing these experiences with you is to show that it is possible to eat what you love and do what you love--no matter how much difficulty you've had in the past. My hope is that these posts will inspire you to share your passions, lessons, and challenges too so we can all learn from one another.

Who am I?

Let me start by telling you a little more about myself...I am Michelle May, M.D. I'm 49 and looking forward to turning 50 (though I have to admit that I was shocked when I got an AARP solicitation in the mail!).

My husband Owen and I celebrated our 25th anniversary with our dream trip to Italy last summer. Owen is a professional chef and owns Chef with Benefits Cooking Classes. We are definitely foodies so some of the passions I'll be sharing with you is our love of cooking, dining out, eating, and traveling. (This photo was taken during a hike on our recent trip to Utah.)

We have two "children" but will be empty nesters in the fall when our youngest, Elyse, 17, heads off to college. Our son Tyler, 21, is a junior in college. Yes, they both love to cook (and eat!). Elyse has been a vegetarian for about five years; she is the author of Veggie Teens Cookbook and Guide for Teenage Vegetarians. I'll share more posts about issues that families care about!

Why do I care?

For the middle half of my life, I had a conflicted, difficult love-hate relationship with food. In retrospect, I see those years as a blessing--an essential part of the journey that brought me to exactly this point. I feel privileged to share the lessons I learned (and continue to learn) about how to develop a more peaceful, joyful approach to eating and mindful living.

I look forward to connecting with you here; please let me know what you'd like to read about!

Comments

[Katrina]

Thank you for sharing your journey - of gaining a healthy relationship with food. Thank you for sharing the tools
necessary to start and support the journey. I bought your
book a while ago and have read it twice, and will continue to read it when I need reminders. You've inspired me to start my
own journey of learning this healthy way of living. Thank you
for caring enough about others to share this priceless knowledge.

[Pauline Gillen]

Hi: I am from Canada and I also bought your book in the later part of 2012. I am from Eastern Canada, New Brunswick to be exact and wish there were a "Michelle May" here in our Province.

Pauline

[Michelle May MD]

I wish there was someone in your area too! The concepts and book seem to be doing fairly well in Canada - we just need to get more Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Workshop Facilitators up there! If you know anyone who might be interested, send them to http://amihungry.com/facilitator-training.shtml.
Michelle