No Way, You Can Not Be 50! (2013 Kushi Summer Conference)

No Way, You Can Not Be 50!

The tattooed guy on the boardwalk in Atlantic City who makes his living guessing people's ages has nothing on our macrobiotic friends.  Time and again at this Macrobiotic Conference, I have been shocked to find out that the beautiful, interesting woman with whom I have been sharing a table at lunch or dinner, and doesn't look a day over 25, is actually 41.  Those adorable, fantastic dancers  at our social on the last night who move with abandon and have the flexibility of a teenager are actually 80 or more!  Macrobiotic people just get younger and younger, living their lives with vim and vigor.  Take a look at Michio Kushi, as he speaks so eloquently and walks with a jaunty step at 87, or Maggie Cottrell, cutting up the dance floor at 85, and you will know they are doing something right.  My intention is to be as spry as they are when I reach 80, in 50 years or so.

This year,  it feels like there is a smaller crowd here.  The benefits of a manageable group are shorter waiting times in the food line and more personalized attention from the teachers who seem more relaxed and more approachable than usual.  I can only imagine what the Holistic Holiday at Sea in March will be like this coming year.

They are expecting 1800 participants.  We vegans will take over half the ship!  While I am thrilled that so many more are embracing this way of life, I am worried that the quality of the cruise, long lines at meals, standing room only classes, etc., will suffer.  I hope the powers that be are taking this into account so that the cruise veterans will not be turned off and take their vacation dollars elsewhere.  Many have confided in me that they are not returning this coming year due to long waits in the dining room and problems with the quality of the food.  The beauty of the Kushi Summer Conference is that all the classes are macrobiotic related and all the fantastic food and people are macrobiotic.  One would hope that the cruise remembers its roots and continues to invite macrobiotic speakers ( bring back that hilarious Verne Varona, the informative Bill Spear and some cooking teachers who don't use sugar) and doesn't dilute the macrobiotic experience.  I love the cruise and want to recommend it to everyone I know, but I really yearn for the simple days of the Costa Fortuna.

Today I have the wonderful treat of a private session with Ed Esko on 9 Star Ki.  For those of you who are not in the know, 9 Star Ki is a revealing form of astrology that originated in Japan.  Three numbers,  determined by your birth date and year and other methods, reveal a wealth of information about your personality, relationships and future.  Ed is Mr. Nine Star Ki so it was very enlightening to get to sit down with him.  I gathered insight about how to deal with my challenging children, my relationship and decisions in the coming months.  Lots of food for thought.  Other private sessions at the conference include shiatsu  massage, macrobiotic counseling, energy healing and hypnosis.

I learned some interesting facts this weekend.  Bill Spear shared with us that the Inuits, in Alaska, dig out the whale's belly, and before eating the meat, gather the fermented seaweed there and consume it.  Fermented  foods are important to the survival of all cultures and the ancients ones were aware of this.  He also told us that the food pyramid was created by the food and dairy industry and based on the Irish immigrants who lived in Boston in the 1930s.  These people did not have the foods that  we have now and lived a very different life than we do so the chart's relevance to current day Americans is questionable.  I love hearing his story about the Javanese woman who asked him if we Americans " eat before we eat", referring to appetizers, and then asking if we " eat after we eat", referring to dessert.  I finally understand that when asked if something is yin and yang I need to think, "In relationship to what?"  I am more savvy now about many things thanks to these wonderful teachers who have dedicated themselves to explaining macrobiotics and spreading its amazing message for over 40 years.

Tonight is party time for all of us.  After studying hard, we macros know how to boogie.  Participants of all ages get out on the dance floor and strut their stuff.    I see women from twenty to eighty five move with abandon and more energy than I have witnessed in one room since last year's conference!  It is a joy to watch an experienced ballroom teacher guide one woman after another in the most graceful dances.  Others are in their own world,  just feeling the beat of the music, and making up their own magical movements.  I feel fortunate to be a part of this group, who know how to enjoy themselves.
Kudos to Cathy and John Russo who orchestrate this lovely experience for us year after year.

Tomorrow we all head home.  We feel filled up with the spirit of macrobiotics.  We are renewed in our resolve to make our practice  better and to share our newfound knowledge with others.  Friendships have been refreshed and formed anew.  Contacts have been made and ideas have been shared.  As we head out to the real world, where we are looked upon as oddballs,  we know in our hearts that our kindred spirits from the conference join us in our commitment to one peaceful world.